Together
by sugarmonkey778
Summary: A mission gone wrong. Two lives entwined. They will be together.
1. The Mission

So it's been a long time and I personally believe my writing has improved. I'm not up to date on Nauto, but that is the beauty of fanfictions, you get to make it all up lol. So tell me what you think and if anyone enjoys this I will continue. Yeah. ^_^

Don't now nor have I ever owned Naruto.

The intense beating of her heart echoed loudly in the back of her head as she crouched low in the bushes. The loud clanging of metal on metal surrounded the small wooded area. She knew her objective like she knew her own name. Her mind raced faster than the battle raging nearby as she tried to find the correct moment to make her move.

There was a loud thud and someone landed next to her. He glanced over at her and noticed the intense look on her face, a look he knew very well. She was about to do something rash, dangerous and just plain stupid. The determination was clear on her face; she was willing to risk anything for the mission.

"No! Don't do it." He called as quietly as he could manage so he didn't alert the enemy to her presence. Her head turned towards him, she could see the desperation in his eyes. She shook her head and turned back to the battle. Her target was just standing there, completely unaware of her intentions.

"Now is the perfect time." she responded. She began to gather her chakra. He could feel the power welling up inside of her.

"No, it's too risky. You have to wait until we've defeated…" She cut him off midsentence.

"I have one shot, if I do this now then we won't have to finish them all off. I can do it, I know I can." She looked back at him and he began to crawl towards her. She began to form the hand signs, and he knew this was it. She was going to do it.

"No, Ino!"

Knock knock knock…"Ino!" **72 Hours Earlier…**

Her eyes flew open and she lunged energetically towards the kunai she kept close at night. After a moment she came to her senses and realized that Shikamaru was at her door. She sighed and walked out of the bedroom to the front door.

"What do you need, Shikamaru?" she asked in a less than friendly tone. He backed away from the brooding blonde and folded his arms behind his head.

"Tsunade sama wants to see you." he drawled lazily. Turning her head she read the clock on her wall.

"Why now, it's like five in the morning!" she complained. Shikamaru shrugged and walked past her into the apartment.

"I don't like it anymore than you do." He began searching her kitchen for food. "Don't you have any snacks? All I see is like fruit and stuff. Nothing like at Choji's." He stopped at a drawer and looked up at her, confused. "What in the world?" he asked, holding in his right hand was a kunai knife. Ino stood a few feet away with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What? I'm shinobi. Don't you have weapons in your house?" She grabbed the blade from his hand and dropped it on the counter.

"Well, yeah, but not in the kitchen." he replied. Ino shrugged.

"Anything could happen. Put that down!" He held a ripe mango and was shaking it in an attempt to figure it out. He glanced up at her and guiltily put the fruit down. "I'm going to get dressed, do not touch anything!" With that she turned and went back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Moments later Ino exited the room only to find Shikamaru snoozing on her couch. She rolled her eyes and slapped the back of his head hard. He shot up quickly and grabbed his head in pain.

"Oi, what the heck!" Ino just snickered.

"Let's go you bum." Shikamaru regained his composure and followed the blonde woman out of the apartment.

Tsunade sat, impatiently waiting for the meeting to begin. Someone was missing, always missing. She sighed impatiently and studied the equally irritated faces of the four shinobi in front of her. Sakura, who was used to Naruto's idiocy, just looked bored. Choji was munching on some chips. Shikamaru was leaning against a wall drifting in and out of sleep. Ino was visibly tired of waiting.

"If he isn't here in two minutes I'm calling in Neji." said the annoyed hokage. Just then there was a loud screeching sound and then a thud. All six ninja turned towards the window in time to see a spiky blonde head pop in. Naruto smiled sheepishly at the many angry faces in the room.

"Hey guys, did I miss anything?" His query was met with silence. So he dejectedly clambered into the room. When the silence continued he spoke. "So, Obaa chan, what's up?" A vein in Tsunade's head throbbed as she attempted to control her rage.

"A new mission just came up." She spoke in a controlled tone, in an attempt to hide her fury. "The five of you will be heading to a small town about a day and half's journey from here. There you will find a man by the name of Takahiro. He has important information about the Akatsuki. Your team will locate him, get the information and neutralize him."

"How do we do that?" Naruto interrupted. Tsunade picked up her cup of tea and chucked it at his head, which he narrowly dodged. "Why!"

"Shut up you moron!" Sakura growled as she punched him in the side. Tsunade took a moment then continued.

"Ino will use her specialized jutsu to get the information. Shikamaru is in charge of the mission and everyone will follow his orders strictly. This mission is too important to mess up. That means _you_ Naruto. Any unnecessary heroism that results in injury or failure to complete the mission will be met with severe punishments." Tsunade remained serious while Naruto looked offended.

"I can't believe you'd say that about me, Obaa chan!"

"Shut up Naruto!" Sakura shouted, whacking the blonde man on the head.

"You leave in two hours." Tsunade concluded when she once again had their attention. With that said all five of the ninjas left the tower to prepare for what would be a life changing mission for all of them.


	2. The Plan

_So, I don't know how many of you liked the first chapter since only two people said anything about it. I'm just gonna guess more of you liked it but did not care enough to review, so from now on how much you review will affect how fast it gets updated. I have things I should be doing other than writing this story, yet here I am. Ah hell, I love writing to much anyhow. Also, I may bump the rating up to M just for some language (it is really difficult to write around things like the f-word) and some implied intimacy in the future._

The group departed on schedule and headed towards the nameless town where they would find Takahiro. They ran for hours, taking only minimal breaks, and then set up camp just before sunset.

When the sun disappeared over the horizon they began their sleeping in shifts. While Sakura took first watch Ino found herself unable to sleep. She sat up and scanned the surrounding area.

"What's up?" Sakura asked.

"Do you feel that?" Ino asked. "Someone is watching us."

"I know. It's not something we should worry about. First of all it has nothing to do with the high priority mission we're on and secondly whoever it is feels pretty powerful and they clearly don't wish us harm or they'd have attacked by now. Or at the least they'd hide their chakra."

All of this made sense to Ino so she lay down again and tried to fall asleep. She just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them.

Early the next morning the team began moving again and reached the village earlier than they expected. They set up a new camp about a mile from the only road that went through the tiny town.

"There isn't a single map of this crappy little place?" Choji complained as they worked out their plan of action.

"It's not exactly a tourist hotspot. The only people who come here tend to be just passing through quickly." Sakura stated.

"So, Ino and I will go in disguised as a couple and scope it out. We will hopefully see the mark and be able to plan the best way to attack or draw him out." Shikamaru explained

"What do we do?" Naruto asked, clearly just wanting to get to the fighting part.

"You three scope out the surrounding area. Find the best place to ambush these guys, someplace where we'll have the upper hand, since we won't have the numbers on our side." Sakura, Choji and Naruto nodded. "Alright, let's do this."

Shikamaru and Ino entered the town using the only road around. They were in character as a married couple passing through on a trip.

"Oh, honey this place is too cute!" she gushed obnoxiously grabbing his arm and smiling stupidly.

They walked arm in arm, as inconspicuously as possible, through the small village. Acting as if he were whispering sweet nothings in her ear, he leaned over and directed her attention to a small man sitting at a table with four other men.

"That's the target, Takahiro. At the table with him are four of his seven bodyguards. There are three others, who are very dangerous rouge ninja. They are never seen with him, but they are always nearby. No one who has encountered them lived to tell the tale."

Ino smiled flirtatiously, to keep their cover and whispered back to him.

"Five against seven, I like those odds." Shikamaru let his smile drop for a split second, before answering.

"No, it's four against seven; you will not be fighting, but focusing on the target. That is exactly why Tsunade sama sent us with you." Ino waved him off, but kept her flirtatious smile.

"Whatever." She pretended to gush over some cute knickknack. Shikamaru stopped walking and turned her so that she was facing him.

"Ino, I'm serious. You cannot engage the enemy, you're only job is to get the information from that guy's head. Naruto, Sakura, Choji and I will neutralize the bodyguards, and you will take out Takahiro. Do you understand that?" He stared at her seriously for a moment, until she nodded. He sighed and mumbled, "troublesome woman", under his breath. Then they resumed their cover and walked out the other side of the very small town arm in arm.

Even with both of their many years of training, neither of them sensed the man watching them from the trees. His mouth was turned down in a grimace. Then he turned and vanished into the sinister forest.

_And remember kiddies, the more you review the more I want to write. ^_^_


	3. Unexpected

_Sorry it took so long, you guys would not believe the horrible luck I've been having with computers. First my laptop, which is what I was writing this on, started freaking out on me, so I moved it to our main computer, which proceeded to crash thus erasing all of our files, pictures, music and videos. Now I had a good bit of this story written on my laptop and between writing it and publishing it my laptop crashed as well. Now I am working on getting the files off the hard drive. I was able to write this chapter because I had not written it before but did know what was going to happen. So please read and enjoy month's worth of story frustration. Oh and review or else!_

They all stood facing the small open area that sat just in front of a blind curve in the road. After studying the area closely it was decided this was the perfect place to stage an ambush. There was good cover in the thick trees that grew right beside the path, and with the curve they had the advantage of surprise. The next step was to find a way to lure the target out to the spot.

"We could wait for him to leave on his own." Choji suggested.

"That could take days. That is time we don't have to waste. Besides we don't even know if he'd come this way." Shikamaru replied.

"Would it work if we went in to the town and attacked?" Sakura suggested.

"We don't want to risk the civilians in the town, and there are too many ways for him to escape." Shikamaru reasoned. Just then Naruto jumped up.

"I know what to do!"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Ino interrupted.

"Why? Aren't my ideas just as good as anyone else's?"Ino sighed and gestured for him to go on. "Why don't we just go ask him to come out here?" At this Ino jumped up, ready smack Naruto.

"That is a hor…" Ino started, only to be cut off by Shikamaru.

"He may have something there." At this Ino's jaw dropped. "Hear me out." With the plan set they spent the night resting for the fight ahead of them.

In the middle of the night Ino sat up suddenly and began scanning the area. She continued to feel the intrusion of eyes from the shadows. It had stayed steady since leaving Konoha and kept her up at night. She looked over at Shikamaru and Choji who slept soundly on one side of her. Then she looked the other way and saw Sakura who was snoring lightly. Naruto, who was on guard duty, was drifting in and out of sleep.

She stood up and walked over to the blonde man.

"Naruto" she whispered, "Naruto, wake up." She gently nudged his shoulder. He jumped up and swung his arms out in defense. "Shhhh, Naruto you're gonna wake everyone up." He settled down and rubbed his eyes.

"Why are you up? Is it shift change time?" He asked groggily.

"No, not yet." She said sitting down beside him. She rubbed her arms for warmth and stared up at the stars. Suddenly there was a rustling in the branches behind her which made her jump up defensively. After a moment passed in silence she looked back over at Naruto who had fallen asleep again. Silently she pulled put a kunai and moved towards the sound.

She stepped onto the road and stood absolutely still, listening for the slightest sound. Seconds ticked by with nothing and she closed her eyes to listen closer. At the crackle of a leaf she whipped her arm out sending the knife flying behind her. It stuck into a tree with a dull thud, just narrowly missing Sakura's head.

"Ino?"

"Sorry, thought I heard something." She loosened up a bit. "What are you doing up?"

"I don't know, just woke up. You seem a little stressed." Sakura noted removing the kunai from the tree.

"Well if the entire fate of the mission was on your shoulders you would be too." Ino replied. She walked away from the road and stopped a few feet from her pink haired friend.

"You can do this. It's not your first mission." She reached out to comfort her.

"I know, I just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me." Ino turned back to the road and stared off into the darkness. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness yet she knew there was something just out of her sight. Sakura looked from Ino to the road and back.

"I don't know. For now just keep focused on the mission. Let's go back. Is it your shift?" Ino nodded and they both walked back. Just before the road was out of sight she looked back over her shoulder. It may have been a trick of the moonlight but she thought she saw a figure lurking in the trees.

The next morning Naruto got up and marched confidently into the tiny town. He slammed open the doors to the small tavern where the target sat with his guards, who jumped into defensive positions around their boss.

"Takahiro! I'm here and you can stop waiting for the best ninja in the world!" Naruto shouted. He was met by silence and many confused and angry faces. "Now I know my presence is quite humbling but someone say something."

"Who the hell are you?" Takahiro demanded. Naruto's smile never faltered.

"I'm your new bodyguard." He said flashing a cocky grin. A moment of silence passed, and was followed by laughter.

"Cute, now get out of here before my guards get angry." Takahiro said as he returned to eating his meal. Naruto frowned.

"You'd be an idiot to pass up this opportunity. I'll give you a demonstration. If you and your little friends would just follow me outside I will blow your mind."

"You were funny a moment ago, but now you are getting annoying. Leave now, or you will regret it." Takahiro said with a frown.

"No, I think you are the one who will regret it. I have completed thousands of high ranked missions and defeated countless deadly foes. Now I have come looking for a real challenge and I demand that you let me show you what I'm made of!" Naruto shouted with exaggerated hand gestures.

"No." Takahiro replied after a moment. Naruto, clearly frustrated, resorted to plan b. He dashed forward, grabbed the gold chain from around Takahiro's neck and flew out the door before anyone realized what happened. He was running down the road when he heard the shouting from behind him, soon followed by the running footsteps of five men. He smiled and continued.

When he was just before the curve in the road three men jumped out in front of him. He skidded to a stop and shouted something. The pause allowed the five men to catch up.

"Now you die." One of the guards said as he took a step towards the blonde man. As he reached out to grab Naruto he was hit by a shuriken and fell to the ground.

And thus the battle began.

Quickly everyone entered the fray. The numbers were not on their side so they knew that the fight had to end quickly. Unfortunately things were not going well. Ino was crouched behind a bush silently waiting.

The intense beating of her heart echoed loudly in the back of her head as she crouched low in the bushes. The loud clanging of metal on metal surrounded the small wooded area. She knew her objective. Her mind raced.

There was a loud thud and someone landed next to her. Shikamaru glanced over at her and noticed the intense look on her face, a look he knew very well. She was about to do something rash, dangerous and just plain stupid. The determination was clear on her face; she was willing to risk anything for the mission.

"No! Don't do it." He called as quietly as he could manage so he didn't alert the enemy to her presence. Her head turned towards him, she could see the desperation in his eyes. She shook her head and turned back to the battle. Her target was just standing there, completely unaware of her intentions.

"Now is the perfect time." she responded. She began to gather her chakra. He could feel the power welling up inside of her.

"No, it's too risky. You have to wait until we've defeated…" She cut him off midsentence.

"I have one shot, if I do this now then we won't have to finish them all off. I can do it, I know I can." She looked back at him and he began to crawl towards her. She began to form the hand signs, and he knew this was it. She was going to do it.

"No, Ino!" Shikamaru threw himself over to her but it was too late. She went limp as her mind flew out of her body. "Dammit, why are you so headstrong?" he whispered furiously. He carefully carried her body further away from the fight. His plans to stay with her were ruined when Sakura cried out.

Since Naruto was busy taking on the biggest of the guards and Choji was also preoccupied with the other two Shikamaru was forced to run out to help Sakura. With one last glance at Ino he ran out to help with the battle.

The odds began to turn in their favor as the fight went on. When the fight died down a little Sakura took the chance to check on Ino, and bandage her wounds. She crawled behind the bush beside her best friend. Right away she noticed something was wrong. Ino was still unconscious. She should have been done by now and returned to her own head. Sakura shook the blonde woman in an attempt to wake her.

"Ino, wake up!" she said urgently. While trying to figure out what was wrong she heard a twig snap somewhere behind her. She armed herself and prepared for the worst. She was not disappointed.

Out of the trees came dozens of ninja who descended upon the clearing and began fighting. They did not join either side, but engaged anyone they reached. Sakura jumped up to join the fight but did not even make it to the first enemy when she was struck from behind.

_That gap between updates was unintentional. But i can do it on purpose. the only way to avoid that? REVIEW. please and thank you!_


	4. Failure

_Look at this. Two updates in one day. Aren't you guys lucky? So enjoy! Oh and review!_

When Shikamaru woke up the sun was setting. It took some effort to stand because he was exhausted from the fight as well as his injuries. He stumbled around the clearing, searching for his team. He found Choji first.

"You ok?" Shikamaru asked. Choji nodded and rubbed a large bump on his head. "Help me look for the others." The two of them stumbled around the area until they had located Sakura, who was with Naruto trying to heal him.

"Are you two ok?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura nodded.

"He's exhausted. He always puts so much into fighting." She explained since Naruto was still out cold. "What the hell happened? Who were those guys?" He shrugged, then winced.

"I have no idea." He looked over at body of one of Takahiro's guards that had been beaten to a pulp. "Have you seen Ino?" he asked. Sakura looked up at him.

"No. When I woke up and she was gone I figured she was with you. Or that she ran off to get help. I would have gone to look for her but then I saw Naruto. He was in bad shape when I found him." Sakura looked behind him at Choji who nearly walked into a tree. "You haven't found her yet?" Shikamaru shook his head.

"No but we will." He shuffled on. He searched the area thoroughly and was unable to find his team mate. What he did find was Takahiro lying in a pool of his own blood. But no Ino.

"Shikamaru!" Choji cried out drawing the attention of his friend. "Come over here, I found something!" He stumbled over to Choji and looked where he was pointing. On the ground was Ino's head band.

"Shit."

Meanwhile…

Ino woke up in a dark place. She jumped up, ready for anything. Moments passed in silence and when nothing happened she relaxed minutely. She found herself in a tiny brick room. It was completely stark without so much as a chair. The door was solid steel and had no handle. There was one light hanging on the ceiling but other than that the room was completely empty.

"I gotta get out of here." She thought. "But how?" She walked to the door and examined it up close. There was no gap between it and the floor and it was tightly sealed to the wall. "Not that way then."

Next she moved along the wall, feeling for weak spots in the brick. She had gone all the way around the room until she found one brick that appeared to have been dug at by the former occupant of the cell.

"Gotcha." She whispered and began digging into the loosened cement with her hands.

Back in Konoha

The team returned, mostly leaning on each other for support. Sakura did what she could to heal the superficial wounds, but she too was worn out and could only do so much. Shikamaru walked into the Hokage tower alone to give their report.

"Hokage sama, the failure of the mission was my fault. I did not for see any complications so we were unprepared when we were attacked." Tsunade watched him carefully as he told her of the events that unfolded. When he had finished she was silent, deep in thought. Finally she spoke.

"You did nothing wrong. There was no way to know that would happen. We have people investigating this group that attacked you. As for Ino, while a good leader should be able to control their team, you are not responsible for her actions. Once we have a lead on her whereabouts you will be notified. In fact you will lead the team for that mission as well." She concluded. Shikamaru nodded and prepared to leave. "One more thing." He stopped. "Do you believe she was successful in retrieving the information?"

"I'm sure she was. She is good at what she does. I have no doubt that she will stop at nothing, and risk everything, to get that information to us." Tsunade nodded and dismissed him.

With Ino

She had spent what must have been hours working on that one brick. She'd dig a little then try to wiggle it loose. Finally she was able to pull it out of the wall. She did a mental victory dance and went to work knocking out the other bricks she'd loosened in her effort to get the first one out. In another hour or so she was able to make a hole big enough that she could fit through.

It was then that she heard the bolt moving and she knew she had to move. She climbed nimbly through the hole and landed lightly just outside. She took only a moment to scan the area. It was a cliff side and the sun was just over the horizon. If she had the time she would have stood there for an hour just enjoying the feel of the sun on her skin, but it was a shout from the wall behind her that caused her to begin running away from the cliff and towards the forest to her right.

She ran until her legs gave out and she tumbled to the ground. Scanning the dark forest around her she spotted a path and heard the splashing of fast moving water. She picked herself up and stumbled forwards to where the trees thinned out and opened up to a river, with a bridge over it. She took a moment to catch her breath, but soon heard the almost inaudible footsteps of her captors. She knew she would never outrun them and in that moment she made her decision. She climbed onto the bridge and walked to the middle of it.

Calming herself, she began to build up her chakra. The sounds of pursuers became louder and louder, but she kept her nerve and began to scan the tree line, on the other side of the river, for movement. When she spotted something high up in a pine tree she climbed onto the railing of the bridge and formed the hand signs, then, when she finished, she let go and fell lifelessly into the raging waters below.

A dark figure appeared on the bridge the moment she fell. He looked at the water and then at the trees.

"Search the other bank. She's inside an animal out there. Find it and capture it alive." His voice was deep and smooth with an even tone that exuded power. Then he dove into the river.

Nearby a small blue bird sat watching the ninjas search the forest, then turned and flew off. That small bird flew all the way to Konoha.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, reading a report, when a little blue bird flew through her window and landed beside her. She stared at it for a moment then shooed it away. The bird took off flew in a circle and landed on the other side of the desk.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked attempting to shoo the bird again. It just kept coming back and landing next to her. She finally gave up and picked up the report again. The bird chirped loudly as if trying to get her attention. She looked at it and could swear it looked annoyed. "Now what?" she asked.

The bird hopped over to the ink well Tsunade had on the desk and knocked it over.

"What the!" She stopped when she saw the bird writing with its small talons. The bird kept on scratching out words until there was a full report from that last mission. "I-Ino? Is that you?" The bird gave a small nod. Tsunade's jaw dropped. "But how? Never mind, where are you?" she asked. The bird's head dropped then it gave the smallest of shakes. Tsunade understood immediately.

"Do you want me to get someone here for you?" she asked. The bird shook its head and chirped sadly. "I will make sure the entire village knows of your bravery and your sacrifice." The bird nodded then chirped quietly. For a moment it seemed stunned and did not move, then it slowly came to its senses, looked around and flew away.

A moment later Shizune walked in and saw Tsunade staring sadly out the window.

"Tsunade sama, what's wrong?" Tsunade looked over at her.

"Summon all the shinobi in the village, and get Shikamaru in here." she said solemnly, then turned back to the window. Shizune nodded and left the room to do as she was told.

A few minutes later Shikamaru showed up.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage sama." he asked politely. It was clear from the bags under his eyes that he had not slept since returning to the village the night before. Guilt, she assumed. Guilt for an incomplete mission and the loss of a friend.

"I have news about Ino." His eyes lit up and he stood up straight. "It's not good, Shikamaru." The light went out and he slouched again. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but, she's gone." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

"Not again," he whispered, "please not again." Tsunade lifted the paper that the bird had written on and held it out to him.

"She came to me as a bird and wrote this. It's the information from Takahiro." Shikamaru did not move to take the paper. She went on. "She was very strong. The last thing she did was complete her mission. She will be remembered as hero." Shikamaru stayed silent. "We'll be announcing the ceremony tomorrow." No response. "You did everything you could. This is not your fault."

"The only thing I was supposed to do was protect her. I failed."

"No, you did your best, and the mission was a success."

"I'm sorry, I won't fail next time." With that he left Tsunade alone.

_So tell me what you think. Seriously tell me. I NEED to know. Yes I am just that insecure, jk lol. But really, review!_


	5. Life Goes On

_I bet all of you lucky enough to have stumbled upon this amazing story are super happy that I've been really inspired lately. It means you get more of the best story EVER! Glad I'm so humble. So just wanna shout out to all of you who have been reviewing, THANK YOU. Now on vith ze SHOW!_

"It's so hot." she thought. "But I'm so cold." Ino opened her eyes and looked around. As soon as she did there was a stabbing pain in her head. She closed her eyes and cried out. Distantly she heard a door open and close, then rapid footsteps approaching.

"Calm down, you're all right." Said a smooth and deep voice. Somewhere at the back of her mind she knew that voice, but the pain was so intense she couldn't think. "Shh, it's ok. You're ill. I've got your medicine." She felt a gentle pinch on her arm and the pain dulled down. She tried to open her eyes to see the man who was helping her but all she saw was a dark figure before she passed out.

For the next week Ino would go through the same thing. Each day the pain disappeared a little. Finally she was able to stand, and she did so just before the time when the mysterious man would give her the medicine. She was finally able to see where she was.

The room was pretty large, about the same size as her own bedroom but without windows. There was little color, grey walls, grey floor, grey sheets and blankets on the bed and a large grey metal door. The only color came from a small flower on the table beside the bed. She walked over to the table and gently touched the blue rose. It made her feel comfortable and reminded her of home.

"Thought you'd like that." came that oh so familiar voice. The one that had been there when she was at her worst. She turned around slowly prepared for anything. Or so she thought. What she was not ready for was the man she saw leaning against the wall in the corner

"Sasuke." she whispered. The years had been very kind to him. His hair was shaggier than before and his face had grown more mature, and handsome. He'd clearly been working out a lot, because his muscles were well defined, but not excessive. She stared at him, openmouthed, in complete shock. He gave her a smirk.

"What, aren't you happy to see me?" he asked in a partially taunting tone. She shook off the shock and put on her best angry face.

"Where am I?" she demanded. He frowned, pushed himself off the wall and took a step towards her. She backed away from him as he stepped forward. "Stay away!" He stopped walking.

"You don't have to worry about where you are. This is your new home." This got a very confused reaction from her.

"What the hell does that mean?" she exclaimed furiously. He just smiled at her.

"You don't know? You're dead in Konoha. A true hero, who was dedicated to her mission right till the very end. It's all very touching, but it leaves you with no hope of rescue. So get comfortable here, because you'll be staying for a while." She let her anger slip for a moment, but it was long enough for him to glimpse the worry that flashed in its place.

"Why me?" she asked as the anger set back in. "What do you want with me?" Sasuke smirked again.

"I'm glad you asked. I was counting on your crush on me, but I suppose it's not necessarily needed. I know that you have information about my brother, and when you tell me I will find him and kill him." He began to advance on her again. She backed up and slid around the bed so she could press herself against the wall defensively.

"What makes you think I'll tell you anything?" She snarled.

"Because you have nothing to lose by telling me. And if you cooperate it will make your living environment much more comfortable." She could not argue with this logic, but the stubborn side of her refused to give in.

"If that's all you want then why do I have to stay here?" She calmed herself down and was able to ask in a reasonable tone.

"Well as you may know, killing my brother is not my only goal. It is with that you will help me." He explained. It took a moment for her to realize what he was saying.

"You make me sick." She growled threateningly.

"Really, you should be honored." He said as he turned and walked to the door. She took the opportunity to grab the small table beside the bed and toss it across the room at him. It crashed into the door because he had disappeared. He slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her lungs. She crumpled to the ground at the force of the blow. He bent down and stared at her menacingly. "Don't do that again." He whispered furiously. The he stood and walked out, leaving her curled in a ball on the floor.

Time did not seem to exist in this hell she was in. For all she knew it could have been years since she awoke in this nightmare. She was brought food and water and every day Sasuke would visit her.

These visits consisted of him bringing a new flower for her. Then he would ask her what she needed. She would always respond with something like "I need you to burn in hell" and he would get annoyed. Next he'd ask her for the information she had gotten from Takahiro. She would refuse, and he would storm out.

As the days passed by this became routine for Ino. She even began to look forward to his visits. She still hated him, but it was the only connection she had to anything real. He was the only one keeping her sane, and the one who was driving her mad.

One day he came in and she seemed ill.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked placing a hand on her forehead. She had no fever but seemed weak.

"I want to go outside." She said quietly. He frowned. "Please, I need to see the sun." He did not like the idea but could see that she was growing weaker by the day.

"Alright." He said softly. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, took a few shaky steps then nearly fell. He sighed and walked over to her and supported her. She attempted to yank away from him but just ended up falling over. He rolled his eyes and bent down to help her up. This time she allowed him to help her walk.

They walked down the dark hallways of the compound until they reached a large metal door. He unlocked it and pushed it open with one hand. She winced at the bright light that spilled in through the opening. After a moment of letting her eyes adjust she pushed off of him and slowly stumbled through the door into a large greenhouse.

The sun was streaming through the glass ceiling bathing the numerous exotic plants in light. Ino stared wide eyed at all the different flowers and shrubbery. Being a part time florist she couldn't help but be amazed at the extraordinary collection of plant life. She walked down a row of dark green bushes testing her skill as a botanist by naming each plant.

"Why do you have this?" she asked brushing by some bright orange flowers.

"We use many of these plants for chemical experiments. There are a few in this greenhouse from which we extract the deadliest poisons." He explained as he gently plucked a leaf from the nearby plant. She turned to face him, a frown on her face.

"Is everything about killing with you?" she asked angrily. He did not respond and she turned away and continued to explore the green wonderland before her. She stopped in front of a smaller section that was filled with blue roses like the one she'd seen when she first woke up. She stared at them in awe of their rarity. "I've never seen blue roses before. Always tried to grow them but they never turned out right." She sighed sadly and bent down to smell them. "And what do you abuse them for? Deadly sharp thorns?" she asked sarcastically.

"No, they just look nice." He replied. She looked at him questioningly, but he did not go on.

"I don't get you." She told him in a tone that was both annoyed and amused at the same time. He just shrugged as a response. When it was clear that neither would speak again she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to soak up as much sun as she could and let out a happy sigh. He watched her with amusement as she enjoyed the warmth.

The following days passed in much the same way. They would go out into the greenhouse and Ino would walk around admiring the plants. Sasuke knew little about them but enjoyed hearing her name each one. As each day passed Ino became more comfortable with her life though she knew she was still a prisoner. She kept some power by refusing to tell him about Itachi. This was frustrating for him but what alarmed him most was that the more time he spent with her the less intense his hatred for his brother became. He would never admit it but she was changing him.

_I have a query…. Do you desire longer chapters because you want to read more, or because you want to know what's gonna happen? Food for thought! Please REVIEW! Love ya_


	6. Passion

_I bet you all missed me! What's that? You say you can't miss me since I've updated three days in a row now? Well if you insist I can take some time offâ€¦ OK OK don't worry I'm only joking. I'd never leave you hangingâ€¦ if I had the choice that is. So enjoy the chapter filled with Sasuke and Ino goodness. ^_^_

How long has it been?" She asked one day. She was lying on her back by the roses and he was sitting next to her. He glanced over at her. She was reaching up to play with a rose bud.

"About a month." He answered. She nodded thoughtfully, wondering how all of her friends were, and her father. She wished she could see them again and was feeling homesick. Sasuke, however, had other things on his mind.

"I'm not supposed to be like this." He began. She glanced up at him and listened quietly as he went on. "I was supposed to be something great. An Uchiha, the most powerful clan in Konoha." By now she knew where this was going

"Sasuke, I'm not going to tell youâ€¦"

"Why?" He asked in an urgent tone. "Do you know what he did to me? Do you know what it feels like to have everything, and everyone you love taken from you?" At this she sat up and met his gaze.

"Yes, yes I do." She replied angrily. This made him more agitated.

"Don't you hate me? I did this to you. I took you from everything you knew, from the people you love." She glared at him then shook her head and looked away. "Look at me!" She turned back to him. "Don't you want to kill me?" In his gaze she saw all the years of pent up anger and frustration that he felt towards the murderer of his family. "Tell me." She studied his face carefully.

"No." She stood up and began walking away from him. In one quick move he jumped up and grabbed her arm. She turned on him with speed he did not expect, and swung her fist at his head. He narrowly dodged the blow and nearly lost his balance in the process. She took advantage of that and knocked his legs out from under him. The problem with this was that his grip on her arm never loosened and she tumbled to the ground with him.

They immediately began struggling for control, rolling all over the floor of the greenhouse. She used his weight against him and got herself on top of him. When she raised her fist to strike he shook her grip loose and managed to flip them over and pinned her. She was able to get her arm free and elbowed him in the stomach. He gasped and she took the opportunity to shove him off. As soon as she was free she leapt to her feet and sprinted away.

She didn't get far before he caught up. Grabbing her shoulder he spun her around so she was facing him. She swung at him again but he caught her hands and held them still. She was seething. The anger and desperation burning in her eyes was a mirror of his own frustrations. They stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity, neither one backing down nor blinking.

"Do something." She whispered furiously. It was then that he did something that shocked them both. He pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, and, what was more astonishing, she kissed him back. All of their emotions poured out into that kiss. Anger, aggravation, misery, passion all flowed through leaving them both breathless when it ended. He broke away, releasing her hands and stepping back.

They were both silent, studying each other. â€¦

There was sudden crash as the door swung open and three guards rushed in. Two immediately rushed towards the prisoner while the other went to stand beside his leader. This finally snapped Sasuke out of his daze.

"Stop! What the hell are you doing?" He shouted. The man closest to him turned to face him.

"Sir, you were being attacked. We're simplyâ€¦"

"No, let her go. I have everything under control." He said, keeping his voice as calm as he could manage under the circumstances. Ino was fighting at the two men holding her arms and they were staring at Sasuke in shock.

"But, sir." One argued futilely. His protests melted away when he was met with an angry glare. "Yes sir." The two men let go of the struggling girl who took the chance to scoot away. She stood a distance away from them, eyes darting apprehensively to each of the guards, then to Sasuke. He looked at her with a range of emotions and they locked eyes for a moment. Finally one of the guards broke the silence.

"What do you want us to do, sir?" He asked, glancing between his leader and the girl.

"Just bring her back to her room." Sasuke replied after a minute. Then he walked out the door back into the darkness. One of the guards followed him out, leaving the other two to see Ino back to her cell. One of them reached out to grab her arm again and she yanked away.

"Do not touch me." She growled then followed the others out of the room. Once she was safely locked away again she sat down on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. So much was running through her head and she was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight.

"What was that?" she thought. "I swear that wasâ€¦ No not possible. Not with stone cold out there. Like he has ever felt anything sinceâ€¦ I remember him from before, when we were young." She rested her chin on top of her knees and closed her eyes. "I just don't know anymore. That moment wasâ€¦so intense."

The things that ran through her mind were concerning. She'd thought she had left that part of her life behind when he turned on the village. She would never admit it but she had always fantasized about what kissing him would be like. The fantasy paled in comparison to the real thing. She groaned quietly and stretched her legs out on the bed.

"There it is absolutely no way I could like that, that, that man." She said resolutely. But her words held more confidence than she actually felt. So she gave up trying to reason with herself and fell asleep.

Hours later she woke up due to the strange feeling that someone was watching her. A feeling she had gotten used to during her time in the compound.

"It's impolite to stare." She said groggily. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms.

"You're losing your touch. I've been here for ten minutes." Sasuke said emerging from the darkness.

"I haven't exactly had time to practice in this damn place." She snapped. He stood a few feet from the foot of the bed, his face unreadable. She, on the other hand, was clearly pissed off. "What do you want?" She asked. He didn't respond, which only annoyed her more.

She got off the bed and stared at him from across the room. Crossing her arms over her chest she waited for him to say something. But he just stood there staring with that strange look on his face.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked. "You took me from my home, from my friends and family." As she listed each thing she took a step towards him. "You took my entire life from me. And now you're just toying with me." She took one more step and was now just over a foot away from him now. "What else do you want?" On the word want she reached out and poked him in the chest. "I have nothing left to give." She jabbed him again. "There's nothing more you can take from me!" This time she shoved him with both hands and he began to lose his control. "So I will ask you again. What the hell do you want from me? You want me to break down and cry? To admit defeat?" Still no response. "Well I won't. I'm not the weak little girl from your childhood anymore."

He clenched his fists and steadied his breathing. She couldn't read it, but she saw a fire burning in his eyes. She was equally worked up, but much more open about it. But he simply let go, turned away from her and walked to the door. She was surprised and angry, and felt exposed.

"Wait!" She called out. He stopped just in front of the door but did not turn around. She was silent for a moment, deciding what to do. She took a step toward him then stopped. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Look at me." She said evenly. Slowly he turned to face her. She looked him straight in the eye and brought forward all the emotion she'd felt during their fight earlier. She was still quiet so he took a couple of steps toward her leaving mere inches between their faces.

"What do you want?" he asked, mocking her slightly. She narrowed her eyes at him then closed the distance between them and kissed him. Like last time this kiss consumed them completely, body and soul. But unlike last time it did not simply end. One kiss turned into many, and they all matched in intensity. Of course kissing led to the shedding of garments which inevitably led to the bed.

Elsewhere in the compound the guards were having a secret meeting. Everyone was talking at once and it was chaotic.

"Everyone shut up!" One man shouted. "We need to discuss this in an orderly fashion." The others nodded and expressed their agreement. "I know I'm not the only one who has noticed the change in our leader since the arrival of that kunoichi." He began, this got more nods.

"He's gone soft! How can he lead effectively if he can't even handle one damned woman!" Shouted a second man.

"Why did he even bring her hear in the first place?" Added a third voice.

"She has information he wants." Replied the first speaker. A few people mumbled in agreement.

"Then why not torture it out of her? That would be much easier!" The third man stated. Many shouted "Yeah!" at this.

"He must need her for something else. Or perhaps he just thinks he needs her." Most of the men went silent, not able to follow the first man's reasoning.

"So we help him out then. Tell him what we've observed." Said a new voice. "Then he can kill the girl and we will know we can still depend on our leader." At this everyone cheered. And the plan was in action.

_So that's that for now. Question. Is it weird that when I wrote that last part they all had British pirate accents? Anyone else get that feeling? Hmm? No? Just me? Tune in next time! Aaaannnnddd if you're not too busy your words of kindness would be much appreciated. This inspiration may not last forever without the proper motivation. XOXO The Monkey_


	7. Love

_Ok so yo, people just a lil FYI pretty much everyone in the story is in their twenties now. Don't remember if I made that clear or not… Well yeah. So enjoy. I know I liked writing it. _

The first thing Ino noticed when she woke up was that there was a sense of comfort and warmth that made her feel safe. She curled closer to the source of the heat and sighed happily. The pleasant feeling lasted only a minute more before she remembered where she was and felt two arms wrap around her. Her eyes shot open and she saw Sasuke lying on his side facing her. He stirred a bit then slowly opened his eyes. They stared at each other a moment, both seemingly waiting for the other to do something. Finally she couldn't take it any longer and she shoved him in an attempt to knock him off the bed. All she succeeded in was falling backwards to the floor. Sasuke sat up and looked down at her.

"You ok?" He asked. She just stared at him, flabbergasted. Grabbing the blanket off the bed she jumped up and wrapped it around herself.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded. He simply stared at her.

"What do you mean? Don't you remember…?"

"No, no, that didn't happen. It was just a dream. An incredibly unbelievable dream," he smirked and she frowned, "but a dream nonetheless." He was still smiling. "Why are you smiling idiotically?"

"You thought I was incredible." He said smugly. She glared at him.

"That is not the point, the point is that what happened last night will _not_ happen again. Ever. I don't do that. Not with guys like you." She said sharply.

"You mean with incredibly hot men? I bet. They're scarce where you come from." She shook her head.

"What is wrong with you?" He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "You know what, never mind. Just get out."She pointed to the door. He frowned, but got up anyway. Just to piss her off he took his time getting dressed. After he finished he walked to the door and opened it in the very special and secret way of his. He cast one last look over his shoulder at her before the door swung shut.

He turned and nearly walked right into two of his guards who exchanged a look at his appearance.

"Sasuke sama, may we have a word?" The first asked. Sasuke waved them off.

"Not now." He said irritably. He began walking away but the second guard stepped in front of him. Sasuke glared at the man.

"Sir, it is an urgent matter." The first said. Sasuke just sighed and motioned for them to lead the way.

The two guards led him to the empty meeting room and motioned for him to sit. He waited for one of them to say something but got impatient as the seconds passed in silence.

"So what is so important it couldn't wait?" He asked impatiently. The guards glanced at each other.

"Sir, I, er, we are worried, that is all of us here, are a little, umm, concerned about, things?" The first said tentatively. Both Sasuke and the second man looked confused. "Well, what I mean is that everyone is, uhh how should I put this?"

"We don't think having the girl here is a good idea. Sir" The second interjected. The first nodded eagerly. Sasuke was silent, thoughtful.

"Oh, sir, we're not doubting _you_, simply your choices of late." The first explained. Sasuke was still unreadable.

"Who thinks this?" He asked.

"Everyone." They both said in unison. Sasuke thought for a moment.

"What else is 'everyone' saying?" He asked. The men looked uncomfortable.

"Well, everyone thinks that, maybe you have possibly, oh what's the word I'm thinking of?" The first said thoughtfully.

"Gone soft?" The second supplied. Sasuke remained calm as he looked from one man to the other.

"So this is what you all think?" He asked. The two men nodded. "Gather everyone here later and I'll fix this." That was the end of it and Sasuke walked out. The two guards let out a sigh of relief.

"That went well." The second said, and the first nodded in agreement.

In her room Ino was pacing fussily. Once again she found her mind racing because of him.

"This is ridiculous. I need to clear my head." She said tensely. She sat on the bed with her back against the wall and her legs crossed. Closing her eyes and steadying her breathing she focused her mental energy. After a few moments of meditation she opened her mind. "OK, let's do this."

(a/n: the following is a conversation between Ino and her inner self, try not to get confused)

"Where shall we start?"

"How about with the fact that you lo-"

"Shut up, that's not true."

"Oh it so is. Trust me I know us."

"That's the problem, I can't trust you. I can't trust anything anymore."

"That's a little dramatic, isn't it?"

"I wish."

"Cheer up, it's not as bad as you're making it sound."

"Seriously, because I thought going insane was really, really bad."

"You are not insane, you're in lo-"

"Do _not _finish that sentence. I would rather be crazy."

"That's harsh, he is a good guy."

"If by good you mean a traitorous b-"

"Bad ass, who is crazy about you?"

"Not what I was going to say."

"Yeah, but what you wanted to say was not very nice."

"Ok well he is not a good guy. First he kidnaps me and lets everyone think I died."

"So he could have you all to himself."

"So I could be his slave."

"Maybe that _was_ his plan, but things change. We have no control over who we fall in lo-"

"Again with that word! He is not capable of experiencing that emotion or any others."

"Coulda fooled me, after last night."

"That was hatred and frustration."

"No, honey, that was passion. Pure unrestrained passion."

"Sure but passion is not the same as lo-, the L word."

"It is merely the first step."

"Well the next one is quite a leap. One I don't want to make."

"Sorry to tell ya but, you've already made it."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's irrational."

"Why does it have to be rational?"

"Because"

"Because what?"

"Just because."

"You need to wake up and admit it."

Silence.

"Time to face him and say-"

"I love you." She opened her blue eyes and found herself staring into his dark ones.

In the meeting room all the guards had gathered and were waiting anxiously for Sasuke. There was whispering all throughout the room as they became more and more edgy. Finally Sasuke made a grand entrance by throwing the doors open which caused the room to go silent. They all stare expectantly at him.

"I am sure you all know what this assembly is about. So let's get right down to business. You have begun to doubt my leadership. You think I've "gone soft". Correct?" There were a few muttered responses but many of them were silent. "And you all believe it is because of our guest. Am I right?" He got the same response. He began walking around the room and stopped in front of one of the men. "Tell me honestly what you're thinking." The man stood up straight and looked him in the eye.

"Sir, I believe that you are still a capable leader, but have lost your edge. You used to make the strongest of men cower. Now you are unable to break one little girl. I regret to say this, but you have become weak." Sasuke was silent and stoic while the man spoke.

"How many of you agree with him?" This time many of them spoke up in agreement. Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. In a move so fast it was nearly invisible he whipped out a katana and ran it through the man in front of him. The man coughed up blood and fell to his knees. With on swift yank he pulled the blade out and held it away from his body, towards the other men, who had backed away once they realized what had happened. "How about now?" He was met by a shocked silence. "Does anyone have anything else to say at this meeting? Don't be afraid to be brutally honest."

Someone coughed and in the blink of an eye Sasuke was standing in front of him with the bloody sword. The man flinched and stepped back.

"Did you have something to add?" Sasuke asked. The man shook his head hysterically and put his hands up defensively. "Then you are all dismissed." The men flooded out the doors and returned to their work.

Eventually all that remained were Sasuke and one of the first two guards.

"Sir, about the girl-"

"She is of no concern to you. You best remember that in the future. Now clean that up." He said gesturing to the body. The man looked like he would protest, but he turned and walked away.

It had been a few hours since he'd left Ino, so he decided to go check on her. He stood outside the door for about ten minutes convincing himself it was alright to see her. She'd had enough time to stop being, well whatever it was that she felt. Angry, annoyed, something like that. So he unlocked the door and walked in.

She was sitting on the bed with her legs folded and eyes closed. Her breathing was steady and calm, but her expression did not convey the same thing.

"Ino?" He called out quietly. "Hey, are you all right?" He asked as he walked over to the bed. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "Ino?" She shut her eyes tighter, then her expression changed to a more peaceful one and she spoke.

"I love you." Her blue eyes opened and met his dark ones.

_I want to warn against anyone mentioning the little crazy conversation that took place in this chapter. Don't tell me you were confused, if u got the meaning of it that is all that matters. If not, go ahead and reread it a few billion times. If at first you don't succeed, get back on the horse. Isn't that what they say? Anyway please, oh please review! _


	8. The Return

_So it is super late, for a Sunday anyhow. But my morning class is canceled tomorrow so I get to sleep in! That means you get this chapter and I'll be able to start the next one! Woot!_

The room was silent. Neither one of them knew what to say. She was wordlessly freaking out trying to find the right thing that would fix this. He was also speechless and clearly stunned

"A heh, looks like the great Sasuke was caught off guard. Can't imagine that happens very often. I should really be proud that I-"

"Shut up." He said harshly. She flinched at the severity of his tone. "Is that true?" He asked earnestly. She desperately wanted to lie to him but couldn't bring herself to, so she simply said nothing. He reached out and brushed her bangs out of her face. She avoided eye contact and chose, instead, to look at her hands folded in her lap. "Please, look at me." She glanced up at him. The look on his face was something she had never seen from him, even before he'd left the village.

"Maybe." She whispered.

A few days later the guards met in secret again to talk about the recent behavior of their leader.

"If he wasn't completely lost before he is now!" Guard number one, who had become the unspoken leader of the group, shouted. The others nodded and made sounds of agreement. "Now that he's in _love_." He growled the word love with disgust. "It's made him a fool!"

"How do we fix this? We all know _he _can't do anything now. He believes there is nothing wrong with him." Another guard said.

"So we tell him what's wrong!" Suggested someone.

"No, it will just end the same way the last meeting did. He won't respond to those tactics." The first replied. "We need to get him to see it on his own."

"How?"

"We must remove the cause of his digression." All the heads turned to the man who spoke, waiting for him to go on. "The girl! All of this started with her. So if we cannot make him see what she is doing, we will make him see the difference in his behavior when she is no longer a distraction."

"I get it!" The first chimed in. "We kill the girl and he realizes what we have known for some time, on his own." The men cheered, and then got to work laying out the plan.

In the meantime Sasuke had been spending more and more time with Ino, not paying attention to his seemingly loyal guards. They spent much of their time in the greenhouse, and he showed her around the compound. Since he still wasn't entirely sure he could trust her she remained locked up at night. He moved her into a different room, one that was larger and had a private bathroom. (a/n please please do not ask what she did before this. Just be happy with what you got!)

One night she was lying in her bed trying to get to sleep. Lately she'd been feeling ill and at this point she knew she was going to be sick. She leapt out of the bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Great, now I've caught the stomach bug that's been spreading through this place." She said angrily. She stood up and leaned over the sink supporting herself with her arms. She weakly lifted one arm to turn the cold water on and proceeded to wash her mouth out. While she was at it she splashed some water onto her face and took a breath to try and calm her twisting stomach. This did not work and she ended up by the toilet again.

She had just washed out her mouth again when the door opened. She walked out of the bathroom to see who was there. It was guard number one.

"What do you want?" She asked. Recently she'd noticed less and less of these guys wandering the halls.

"Sorry to disturb you, Ma'am. It's just-" His voice seemed contemplative. "May I speak freely?" She waved at him then went to sit on the bed. "I'm worried… about Sasuke sama." He said. She looked over at him trying to hide her concern.

"What about him?" She did a better job keeping her voice steady.

"He is so upset about this whole situation with… his brother." He sounded troubled.

"What do you want me to do about it?" She asked, already knowing where this was going.

"Well we heard that you had some information that could lead him to his brother." She looked away as she did whenever this topic was discussed. "It would be quite helpful if you told him what you knew. I'm sure if you did that he would be more than willing to give you your freedom." At this she looked up at him again. "But if you still intend to keep it to yourself there is nothing we can do about it. Goodnight, and again sorry for disturbing you."

The next morning Ino woke up to find Sasuke sitting beside her with a new rose. He smiled at her and handed it over. She took it and smiled back.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked. She nodded, then he stood up. "I'll let you get up. I just wanted to give you that." He said gesturing to the flower in her hand.

"Sasuke." She said quietly. He turned around to look at her. "I'll tell you about him now." He completely froze and she studied him silently. After regaining his composure he walked back to the bed and sat down.

"Why now?" He asked before she began. She smiled gently and sniffed the rose.

"Because I love you." She replied.

When she finished explaining they both sat in silence.

"What will you do, now that you know?" She asked. His expression had grown ominous and he was silent.

"I'm going to find him and kill him." He said as he stood up. She leapt up after him.

"I'm going with you!" She said. He stopped suddenly and turned around. She nearly ran into him as a result.

"No."

"You can't do it alone! If you go by yourself you'll be killed."

"It is something I must do on my own."

"Is this about your stupid pride?" She yelled. He did not respond. "Why are you so stubborn?"

He walked away from her to the door.

"Please, Sasuke. Don't do this." She begged with tears in her eyes. "Please."

"I'll be back." He replied, without even glancing back at her. Then he walked out the door and she sank to the floor and cried.

He gave his guards specific instructions regarding Ino, warning that the result of straying from them would be deadly. Then he packed a bag and headed out.

A week went by with no word from him. As the days passed Ino became more and more anxious which made her more ill. It also did not help that the men were not doing as they were told and she was stuck in her room 24/7. Then one day while she was eating her lunch she found something odd. It was a dark green leaf mixed into her soup. Upon closer inspection she found it to be one of the deadliest plants in the greenhouse. She glared at the little leaf.

"They're trying to kill me. And Sasuke isn't here to stop them. I'm all alone surrounded by highly skilled ninja who are trying to kill me." She thought, infuriated. Tipping the tray onto the floor she called out to the guard saying she was finished. Number one opened the door and noticed the food on the floor. He eyed her suspiciously, but cleaned it up and left.

"Plan B." He thought to himself.

That night she was in her bed asleep when the door opened silently. Number one walked in without a sound and stopped beside the bed. He pulled out a syringe filled with a strange green liquid. "Sleep well." He thought as he brought the needle down towards her exposed neck.

Suddenly he froze and got a strange look on his face. A moment later he blinked it off and pulled his hand away. The girl in the bed disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Mind transfer is a success." He said giddily. He turned around and walked over to where Ino was lying on the floor, having successfully preformed her jutsu. Using his body she picked up her own and walked out. She walked past a small group of guards who looked at number one expectantly.

"Did it work?" They asked. She made him nod.

"I'm going to get rid of this." She said in his voice, then continued down the hall. After a moment of celebration one of them spoke up

"What do we do now?"

"We send word to Sasuke sama that the girl is dead." Replied another. They nodded in agreement and walked off to the aviary.

Once she got outside, Ino made number one set her down gently and released the jutsu. She sat up as the man fell to the ground.

"Thanks for all of your help. See you never!" Turning to the trees she leapt up and began running.

After running a good distance she stopped to catch her breath. Being locked up had not been good for her physically. Now she was faced with a decision. Run home to Konoha, or go search for Sasuke? She was torn, but knew there was little hope of actually catching up to him, and she did not want to end up back where she started. So, with an ache in her heart, she set out for Konoha.

Somewhere along the way dark clouds set in and blocked the moon, her only source of light. By the time she was about a mile from the village it began to rain. Larges drops of water fell to the earth and distant thunder rumbled threateningly. She'd come a long way to get here. So far no one had followed, but she didn't drop her guard for even a moment, and she wouldn't until she knew she was home. The gates to the village were in sight, and she fought through the exhaustion of running for many hours.

There was shouting when she came into sight and soon the gates were closing. "No!" she thought and tried to pick up the pace, but almost all of her chakra was depleted from the run. Somewhere deep inside of her something snapped allowing her one last burst of energy which got her right through the gates just before they slammed shut. She took less than a second to celebrate before she fell to her knees and was surrounded by many wary ninja.

Ino said nothing, only raised her hands in surrender. Someone shouted something but she didn't hear it as she blacked out.

_So I've been wanting to ask. Do you think I've done a good job portraying everyone, with the exception of Sasuke. Please leave a review and tell me how I'm doing. ^_^_


	9. News

_So here goes another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. I just wanna thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far. Without that I would not be able to write. So thank you all!_

"What!"Tsunade nearly collapsed when she heard the report from the guards at the gate. "Not only is Ino Yamanaka alive, but she is in the village! When, how, what!"

"She passed out and was brought to the hospital for treatment." Shizune explained handing the written report over to her. The Hokage read over the document eagerly.

"Get Sakura here immediately." She said. The other woman nodded and ran out of the room. Tsunade turned to face the window and stared out in the direction of the hospital.

"Ino, where have you been?" She thought silently.

The graveyard was empty, except for one man. Shikamaru stood by the grave marked 'Ino Yamanaka' with a bundle of assorted flowers from her family's shop. He set them down then sat beside it, disregarding the rain.

"I'm sorry." He said. This had become his ritual. He would come to the graveyard early in the morning before the sun rose and apologized to the two people he couldn't save. He sat in silence, letting the rain soak through his clothes causing him to shiver slightly. Then the rained seemed to stop, but it was only due to the woman holding the umbrella over him.

"You know they wouldn't want you to keep doing this, right?" Sakura asked standing beside him. He looked up, the first rays of sunlight came up behind her, leaving her silhouetted.

"It's more for me than them." He replied. She glanced in the direction of Asuma's grave sadly.

"This place is getting crowded, isn't it?" She said sullenly.

"That's the way it goes."

"Sakura! Sakura!" They turned their heads and saw Shizune running towards them. "Sakura, Tsunade sama wants to see you, right away!"

"Is something wrong?" She asked, noticing the urgency in her voice.

"Not exactly. Please just come with me." Shizune responded. Sakura turned and handed Shikamaru the umbrella.

"If you insist on staying out here all morning at least take this to get out of the rain." She said, then ran after Shizune.

"How troublesome."

Sakura and Shizune returned to the Hokage's office quickly.

"What is it Tsunade sama? Shizune said it was important." Sakura asked.

"Ino Yamanaka has returned to the village." She said seriously. Sakura gasped and was left in utter shock.

"B-but," She stuttered.

"No time for that! She has been taken to the hospital. I want you there to check on her. We don't know where she's been for the past two months so we need to be careful. Don't tell anyone yet. "

"I understand." Sakura said. She ran back out the door and all the way to the hospital and walked up to the front desk. "I'm under direct orders from Hokage sama to take care of Ino Yamanaka." She said quietly. The woman behind the desk nodded and handed her a chart. "Thank you." Then she walked briskly to the room listed on the paper in front of her.

She stopped outside the door, finally realizing the weight of this moment. She was about to see her best friend again, after thinking she was dead for two months. She took a breath to steady herself, then opened the door and walked in.

In the room there were two doctors fussing about. They stopped when Sakura walked in. Her eyes landed on the patient. Ino was unconscious lying on the bed, her breathing and heart rate steady.

"What have you got so far?" Sakura asked the doctors.

"Well she seems to have passed out mainly from fatigue. Probably from running to the village." Sakura nodded at that and walked over to stand beside the bed.

"She's not exactly malnourished, but it does appear she has not eaten in some time." The second doctor added.

"So wherever she was she was fed, to a degree." The first doctor finished.

"We're testing her blood now. It should be finished in about ten minutes."

"Good. You may leave now. I will handle this from here on." She said once they'd finished. They bowed then left quietly. Sakura looked down at her friend and smiled.

Eventually the sun rose completely and the day finally began for the rest of the villagers. Rumors began to fly about what had happened the night before, but no one had the full story. Some said refugees from a neighboring town had fled to Konoha and were currently being treated at the hospital. Others said it was a long lost hero returned from a fight. There were even a few that seemed to believe Sasuke Uchiha had come back. All anyone knew for sure was that someone had entered the village the night before and it caused a stir.

Of course the rumors about Sasuke caught the attention of a certain blonde ninja who showed up at the hospital the second he found out. At this point the only one who knew what was going on was Sakura, and Naruto knew that. He stood at the front desk demanding to see his pink haired teammate. He caused such a ruckus that they were prepared to throw him out, when Sakura showed up.

"I'll handle him." She told the security team as she grabbed Naruto by the ear and dragged him out of the building. "What the hell were you doing in there? That is a hospital, filled with sick people who are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry! But I heard about what happened last night. Is it-"

"It isn't Sasuke." Sakura replied in a harsh whisper. Naruto looked down gloomily then looked back at her, confused.

"Then who is it?" He asked. Sakura shook her head.

"I can't tell you." She saw him open his mouth to complain and shot him a glare. "I'm under direct orders from Tsunade." She looked down. "No matter how badly I want to tell everyone, I can't disobey the Hokage." When she looked back up Naruto was gone. "Idiot." She said as she walked back into the hospital. `

"Tsunade Obaa Chan!" Naruto shouted as he barged into the Hokage's office. As soon as he got through the door he ran right into Tsunade's fist and flew back into the hall and crashed into the wall.

"What the hell are you doing? You can't just barge into my office whenever you please!" She shouted angrily. He jumped up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"Sorry, I just need to know what happened last night!" He yelled.

"It wasn't Sasuke." She replied.

"I know that!" Naruto groaned. "Who was it?"

"You don't need to know that yet." She told him as she sat back down in her chair.

"Why not?"

"I don't need to give you a reason. I'm the Hokage. When you are the Hokage you can do whatever you want. But for now _I _am in charge." Naruto frowned then suddenly smiled evilly.

"Ok, I'll just leave then." He said innocently.

"If I catch you sneaking around that hospital you will be put on academy training duty for a month!" She shouted as he headed towards the door. This made him freeze.

"You're bluffing!"

"Try me." She said with a look that said it all.

"You're an evil old lady." He said with a shiver.

"That's why they made me Hokage."

Back at the Hospital Sakura sat beside Ino's bed, waiting for the results of the blood test. She glanced up at her sleeping friend and sighed. Just then the door opened and one of the doctors from earlier walked in with a clip board.

"Ma'am, you should see this." He said handing her the results. She read the paper carefully then gasped. She looked at Ino again in shock.

"You may leave now." She said dismissing the doctor. "What happened to you out there?" She asked the unconscious Ino.

It was about sunset when Ino woke up. She looked around, not sure where she was. Her heart rate spiked causing the machine next to the bed to begin beeping loudly, followed by the door opening and someone rushing in. The person grabbed her shoulders and held her down as she struggled weakly.

"Ino! Calm down, you're all right!" The voice said to her.

"I know that voice." She thought frantically. She stopped fighting and looked up at the person who was holding her down.

"Sakura." She said quietly. The pink haired woman let go.

"Ino." She said back. They stared at each other a moment then Sakura leaned down and hugged her best friend. "I can't believe you're back." She said. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm not going anywhere yet, billboard brow. I still have a lot of things to beat you at." Ino replied with a smile. Both had tears in their eyes as they laughed.

"Good Ino pig, cause I need a little competition."

"Sakura, can I have some water, my throat is burning." She nodded and left to go get it. When she returned she handed the cup to Ino. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired, and kind of nauseous." She replied.

"Well you should get some more rest. I'll tell Tsunade that you woke up." Sakura prepared to leave when Ino reached out and put a hand on her arm.

"How are Choji and Shikamaru?" She asked.

"They're doing as well as you might think, given what they've gone through. " Ino nodded sadly.

"Can I see them?"

"You need to rest first. I'll make sure that as soon as visitors are allowed they are the first to know." Sakura said then she walked out. Shortly after that Ino fell asleep again.

"What have you found out about Ino?" Tsunade asked when Sakura arrived

Sakura handed her the results of the blood test which she read over. The Hokage's response to this news was pretty much the same as Sakura's.

"Have you talked to her about this yet?" Sakura shook her head.

"I didn't want to get her worked up while she's recovering."

"We have to know what happened while she was gone. As soon as possible." Tsunade said.

Sakura nodded and walked out of the office.

The next morning she returned to the hospital. Ino was sitting up in the bed eating breakfast that was brought to her by a nurse.

"How are you feeling today?" Sakura asked as she sat in a chair next to the bed.

"I feel a lot better. Still a little queasy though." Ino replied.

"That's good. Do you feel well enough to maybe talk about what happened while you were gone?" Ino stopped eating and glanced up. "Never mind, it can wait."

"No, I'm ok. I can do this." Ino said. "Where should I start?"

"Why don't you start with who was holding you." Sakura suggested tenderly. Ino took a steadying breath in preparation for what she had to say.

"It was Sasuke." She said. Even without looking she knew how Sakura was reacting.

"That's not possible."

"You're thinking it, I lived it." Ino replied sharper than she intended. Sakura continued to look utterly shocked.

"No, Ino, that isn't possible because that means that he's…"

"What did he do that is so unbelievable?" Ino demanded, feeling hurt that her best friend seemed to not believe her.

"You don't know." Sakura said, her astonishment only growing.

"Know what?" Ino nearly shouted.

"Ino, you're pregnant."

_I just noticed how much I love ending chapters like that. Keeps you on your toes. Shouldn't be too much of a shock, I have been throwing in subtle hints. So now you wait muwahahaha. Love ya'll._


	10. A New Life

_I never cease to amaze me. I got two chapters finished and up mere hours apart. Aren't you guys so proud of meeee! I bet you are. But since so few of you say so I'll simply answer for you. "Yes Monkey sama, you are the bestest story teller in all of the land!" "Why thank you loyal subjects. I shall now grace you with a new chapter!" Enjoy. _

Ino sat in the stark white interrogation room. Ever since it had become know that she was having the child of a traitor those who knew had begun to doubt her loyalties. She grew more and more uneasy as time went by and no one entered the room. Finally a large imposing man walked through the door. He eyed her warily and eventually sat down opposite her. She kept her cool and did not show any fear.

"So, Miss Yamanaka. Have you had any contact with the traitor Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Um, do you mean recently, or ever?" She asked.

"I mean are you telling him our secrets!" The man said, raising his voice. She flinched involuntarily.

"What secrets? I just got back like four days ago." She replied. The man's eye twitched in agitation.

"Are you back sassing me?" He shouted. Each time he spoke he got louder and now she was shaking.

"N-no." She whimpered.

"So stop lying to me!" He slapped his hands down on the table for emphasis. "Are you a double agent?" He screamed. She sat in silence for a moment, shaking. Then she started to cry. That's when the door flew open and Sakura stalked in.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Iwao? Making a pregnant woman cry!" She walked around the table to comfort her friend.

"I-I'm fine, Sakura." Ino sniffled, but she clung to her pink haired friend anyways. The large man stomped out of the room. "Damn hormones." She wiped her eyes and regained her composure.

"Ok, now Ino the sooner we finish this, the sooner you can get back to your normal life." Sakura said soothingly.

"I already told you everything!" Ino said hysterically.

"Yes, I know, but we need and official record of it. So just calm down and tell me again." Sakura explained. Ino nodded and began her story again.

When she'd finished about two hours had passed. They got every small detail that Ino could remember and had it written into an official record. Well every detail except the fact that she fell in love with the traitor. That one she kept to herself.

"Alright, that's all we need. Are you ready to go home?" Sakura asked. Ino nodded excitedly.

"I've been waiting for this for so long." Before they walked out Ino turned to Sakura. "Could you do me a favor and not tell anyone about Sasuke and…" She didn't finish but being her best friend, Sakura knew what she meant.

"Of course." The two women walked out of the building and ran into all of their friends who had gathered outside the building once word had spread that it was Ino who had returned. She had tears in her eyes, this time it was due to overwhelming happiness.

They swarmed her with questions, and hugs and she quickly became exhausted by all the attention. Sakura noticed this and began shooing them away.

"Can I go home now?" Ino asked.

"Well you kind of lost your apartment when we thought you were dead, but you father got all of your stuff. I can bring you back there, but he is out on a mission now and won't be back until tomorrow night."

"I don't want to be alone." Ino said frantically. Sakura looked at her friend sadly then nodded.

"Ok, you will stay with me then." She said resolutely. Ino smiled appreciatively until she noticed someone standing a ways off behind Sakura. Her smile dropped and tears formed in her eyes. Sakura turned around to see what she was staring at. Shikamaru stood some distance behind them and was staring at Ino sadly.

She walked over to him and stopped a couple of feet away.

"Been a while." He said emotionlessly. She nodded, letting a few tears fall.

"Sorry I didn't write." She replied. He cracked a smile and she lunged at him wrapping her arms around him tightly. He returned the hug and she began crying.

"Why do you do this to me, you troublesome woman?" He asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She cried. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry I put you through that again."

"Shh, I know. It's ok." He said gently. Suddenly she pushed away from him.

"Wait. Why are _you_ comforting _me_?" She asked wiping away tears.

"Because _you're_ the one who's crying." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She shoved him gently and laughed. "You should get going. Sakura looks like she's getting impatient." She nodded and hugged him again.

"We're gonna hang out, you me and Choji. Just like old times." She said happily. Then she walked back over to Sakura and together they walked to her apartment.

"You're lucky I just finished redoing the guest room. Hope you like it." The room wasn't very large but it had a comfortable looking bed against the wall by the window.

"It's great. Thank you." Ino replied walking into the room.

"I'm going to go make some lunch. The bathroom is the door to the left. If you want to take a shower there are towels in the closet to the right. Call me if you need anything." With that the pink haired woman walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Ino walked to the bed and knelt on it to open the window. A soft breeze swept by, blowing her hair back gently. She sighed happily and just stared out the window for a while.

The next nine months were difficult for Ino, but she had the support of all of her friends and her father. She was never alone the entire time. If Sakura went away on a mission she would stay with her father. There was always someone there for her all the time. Often she'd lie in bed at night and look up at the moon, wondering where Sasuke might be. What did he think happened? Was he searching for her? These things constantly floated through her mind.

A pregnant Ino was not very easy to handle, and one day, about five months later, Sakura came flying out of the apartment building, nearly crashing into Shikamaru.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" He asked.

"She is driving me INSANE! Seriously, I cannot take it anymore!" Shikamaru blinked then cracked a smile.

"What is it this time? Mood swings, cravings, or just plain old obnoxious Ino?" He asked.

"She is up there throwing a tantrum about the stupid air freshener! Says 'it's making a mockery of true flowers'! She demanded I go out and buy a different one, or some real flowers." She explained getting more worked up as she went on. Shikamaru chuckled.

"Sounds about right. Why don't you go out and do something fun. I'll handle this one." He said. She nearly cried when he said that.

"Oh you are an angel, Shikamaru. Thank you." Then she turned and ran off thinking he might change his mind. Shikamaru resumed walking to the apartment door. He rapped on it gently and waited for some response.

"Come in." came a weepy sounding voice from inside. He opened the door and saw Ino sitting on the ground sobbing.

"What happened here?" He asked moving towards her from the doorway.

"I'm a horrible friend!" She cried. She was sitting in front of the couch with her legs stretched out in front of her.

"No you're not." He replied.

"Ye-yes I am. I got s-so worked up that S-Sakura stormed out!" She began sobbing again. He sat down beside her and put his arm around her shaking shoulders. "She hates me now."

"No she doesn't. She's just a little frustrated."

"That's because of me!" She cried.

"No, it's because of your mood swings. In a few hours you'll both be over it." He said soothingly rubbing her arms comfortingly.

"Why are you so nice to me?" She asked finally slowing her tears enough to speak almost calmly.

"Because I have to be." He joked. She nudged him playfully and smiled.

"You are so sweet. You know what would be even better?" She asked innocently. He knew where this was going.

"No idea. Why don't you tell me?"

"If you brought me a big bowl of fish flavored ramen!" She said excitedly. He simply smiled at her.

"Would you like to go to Ichiraku?" He asked. She scrunched up her nose.

"No."

"Would you like _me_ to go to Ichiraku?" He asked in that ever patient tone of his. She looked up at him through her thick lashes and smiled innocently. "I'll be right back." He stood up and walked to the door. "Before I leave, is there anything else you want?" She shook her head and continued to smile at him. "How troublesome." He whispered under his breath.

When he got to the ramen stand he was not surprised to find Naruto slurping down what had to be his second bowl. Beside him sat his girlfriend Hinata. The other two who sat beside her were Choji and Kiba and of course Akamaru who snoozed on the ground beside his mater's feet.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Called Kiba when he noticed the lazy ninja walk up. "What are you doing here?"

"She's hungry." He said. The three guys flinched, having each felt the wraith of a hormonal Ino.

"How is Ino chan doing?" Hinata asked.

"She's good, ran Sakura ragged though. I'm her savior."

"Sucks for you, man." Kiba said. Choji and Naruto nodded in agreement. Shikamaru shrugged.

"I know how to handle her." Shikamaru explained after putting in her order.

"At least she's got good taste. Ichiraku is the best ramen!" Naruto cheered.

"Here is your order." Ayame said sweetly handing Shikamaru the to-go bag. He paid for the food then said goodbye to his friends.

"Good luck!" Shouted Choji as he was walking away.

When he arrived back at the apartment he found Ino fast asleep on the couch, she was snoring quietly. He shook his head at her and set the food down in the kitchen.

"Ino." He gently shook her arm to try and wake her. Her eyes flew open and she swiped her arm at his head. He ducked out of the way. When he looked back at her she was asleep again. He walked behind the couch and tried again. This time she simply opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Oh, hey Shika, what's up?" She asked sleepily.

"I got your ramen." He said. She frowned. "Let me guess, you're not hungry anymore." She smiled sheepishly. "All right, why don't you get up and go to bed." He suggested. He reached down and helped her off the couch. Then he led her to her room.

"Thank you for being so nice. I know I can be a bitch." She said drowsily. Then she yawned and promptly fell asleep. He left the room and settled on the couch to wait for Sakura to return.

There were many other moments like that throughout her pregnancy. The night she went into labor she was at her father's house having dinner with him. They rushed to the hospital, all the while Ino was screaming for Sakura.

After many painful hours, for everyone involved, Ino had a healthy baby boy, who she named Haro.

_So that concludes chapter 10. Hope you liked it as much as the nine others. Or more! I am contemplating starting another SasuIno story. Hope you read that one too, should it ever become a reality. Till next time. EAT YOUR VEGTABLES! Or not, who am I to tell you that when I wouldn't be caught dead near broccoli? _


	11. A Surprise

_This one is a personal favorite of mine, although that Shikamaru scene from the last one did make me smile. ENJOY the awesomeness of my brain!_

Just before she had the baby Ino found herself a new place to live. With the money she got from that last mission and working at the flower shop she was able to get a nice two bedroom apartment. It was larger than her old one to accommodate her growing family.

She'd had a nice baby shower and one of the things she was given was a guard dog, trained specially the beast master himself, Kiba.

The day she was released from the hospital she was feeling glum.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked as she unlocked the door to Ino's apartment. Ino, of course, had her hands full with the baby and her father stood behind them with her overnight bag.

"I just wish I'd had the chance to finish Haro's room before he was born." She said sullenly. Sakura smiled mischievously. "What's with that face?"

"We've got a surprise for you!" She threw open the door and revealed Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru and Choji, covered in blue and green paint smiling like idiots. Sakura glanced at them and frowned. "Did you guys get _any_ paint actually on the walls?"

"Oi Ino, no complaining. We slaved over this." Shikamaru drawled.

"What! You didn't do a damn thing but lie around and tell us what to do!" Naruto shouted.

"I was supervising." Shikamaru retorted. Ino simply marched past them into the baby's room.

The walls were painted to look like landscapes, with grass as a border and blue skies all around. There were even little puffy clouds floating here and there. On the ceiling there were golden rays painted around the light making it look like the sun. His crib was set up by the wall to the left of the door and the changing table was to the right. There was also a beautiful wooden rocking chair in the corner.

"Guys, it's perfect!" She said with tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much."

"Now for cake!" Choji called out triumphantly.

"You know, I want to be upset that you're thinking about food right now, but I'm not feeling it. So get the cake!" Ino said. They celebrated for hours, talking and, yes, eating cake. Then it got late and everyone gradually went home.

"Think you can make it through the night alone?" Shikamaru asked as he was preparing to leave. Ino nodded.

"I think I'll be ok now. Plus we have Mamoru to protect us." She said patting the dog affectionately on the head.

"I'm happy for you." He said as he hugged her goodbye.

"Thank you for everything." She replied. Finally it was just her and her father. She sat in the chair gently rocking Haro to sleep.

"That's the chair I used to rock you to sleep when you were a baby." Inoichi said nostalgically. Ino smiled at him.

"Thank you Dad." She stood up and shifted the sleeping baby carefully to give her father a hug.

That night Ino was lying in bed wide awake. She couldn't seem to shut her brain off and get some sleep. After tossing and turning for an hour she grabbed her blanket and a pillow and fell asleep in Haro's room with the dog beside her. It took a few days before she felt safe enough to sleep in her room alone.

Her nights were stressful those first three weeks, but her days were a nice balance. She finished decorating her new place and really settled in and even found time to start working out again and get back in shape. There were always people coming and going. The one's who had been away when the baby was born came to see him, and her closest friends were always checking in on them. She finally felt like she could really have that perfect life she'd dreamt of since returning.

Every now and then her mind would drift to Sasuke. She still felt that excitement whenever she thought of him, but was also afraid he would find her and she would lose everything again. So she went a little overboard with security for her home. The only people who had spare keys to her door were Sakura, her father and Shikamaru. The people she trusted most.

Ino set the baby down gently in his bed and pulled the blanket up around him. She walked out and closed the door as silently as possible. She smiled and went to her own room to go to bed.

Some hours later she awoke when her dog began to growl. She leapt out of bed and moved swiftly to the door. She scanned the room with her eyes and her chakra, but did not see or feel anything out of place. Next she checked the front door. No one was there. Finally she snuck a peek into Haro's room. He continued to slumber peacefully, so she closed the door. By now the dog had stopped growling so she figured it was a false alarm. She returned to her room and shut the door.

When she turned around she nearly screamed. Sasuke was standing in front of her with a terrifying look on his face. She was shocked for less than a second before her instincts kicked in and she flung a kick at him. He dodged it with ease and came charging at her. She swiveled quickly and they changed positions. She whipped around to face him again and threw a punch. He caught her fist with one hand and threw her backwards effortlessly. She crashed into the wall, hard.

Shaking off the haze from hitting her head, she looked up in time to see him moving towards her again. She raised her hand to strike at him but he caught her wrist in a tight grip. Pain shot through her arm as she struggled to get free. He used his free hand to grab her by the throat and slam her against the wall again. In a moment she was gasping for air.

"Why?" he growled. The world was spinning in front of her eyes.

"S-Sasuke, ple-please." she sputtered. His grip didn't let up. The fury in his face was unmistakable.

"Why!" he repeated with malevolence. The world was beginning to go black.

"S-S-Sasuke, s-stop, I can't-." She was unable to speak anymore than a few stuttered words. He was about to slam her against the wall again when he heard something that made him freeze. Ino heard it too and cursed internally. It was Haro, who had been awakened by the fight and was now crying. The look on Sasuke's face was pure and utter shock. She struggled to get free, but he remained motionless. Finally he dropped her and walked out of the room.

For a moment she lay on the floor gasping and coughing, but she recovered quickly and leapt after him. By the time she got out there he was standing by the door to Haro's room.

"Sasuke!" she shouted. He ignored her and went for the door knob. That was when the dog jumped in. He stood between Sasuke and Haro head low, teeth bared, with a low threatening growl coming from deep in his throat.

Sasuke glared at the dog and prepared to fight it.

"Stop!" Ino shouted. Both the dog and Sasuke looked over at her. She marched up to Sasuke and slapped him. She took his moment of shock as an opportunity to rush into the baby's room before him. He came barreling in after her and slammed the door before the dog could follow.

Ino went straight to the crib and picked Haro up. Sasuke stood by the door just staring. The dog could be heard outside scratching and growling. Sasuke took a step forward and Ino moved back.

"Stay away." she warned. "Stay away from my son!" Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off the infant in her arms.

"Is-is he mine?" Sasuke asked quietly. Ino clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, but did not respond. She simply rocked the fussing baby gently. "How old is he?" Ino ignored this question as well. "Ino, talk to me! Am I his father?"

"No, you are not. A father is more than just DNA. It's being there, and let's face it, Sasuke; you can't _be there_ for him if you're a traitor!" He stood resolutely staring at Haro.

"I can change that." He said quietly. "I can be a father. I need him, and he needs me. He's an Uchiha." Ino frowned.

"If you want to help him, or me for that matter, just leave. We don't need you here. You only make things worse." She turned around and placed her sleeping son back in his crib and put the blanket on him. For an agonizing minute Ino thought he wouldn't leave.

"Fine. I'll be back though. I will be a part of his life." Sasuke said fiercely. "And yours, Ino. I promise." She did not turn to see him go; she couldn't, not with tears running from her eyes. She wouldn't let him see her cry. When she finally did turn she saw a single blue rose on the floor. She slid down the side of the crib to the floor and began to weep quietly.

3 months passed and the seasons changed. Every so often Ino would find a blue rose somewhere in the house and would know he'd been there, but in the recent weeks there'd been no sign of his presence and things had returned to normal.

On this beautiful October day, Ino was out with her son and dog, going to her family's flower shop. Haro was strapped to her back, blowing bubbles in her ear and giggling, which made her smile.

"What are you doing, silly boy?" she asked him and then she tickled his little feet, causing him to laugh and squirm. She smiled happily, knowing her life was as close to perfect as anyone's could get. "Nothing can go wrong" she thought.

As she was passing a small group of local women she caught a bit of the dialogue they were having. One word stuck out and made her freeze right in her tracks. Uchiha, they were talking about Uchiha.

"It's true, totally true!" one woman gushed.

"The Uchiha, no, not possible!" claimed another. Ino stayed frozen where she was, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Soon she noticed that none of the women seemed to notice she was there, and certainly none of them even glanced at her.

"Yes, yes, that Uchiha traitor returned this morning, not an hour ago! Soon's he entered the village he was swarmed by ANBU. They whisked him away to some unknown prison!" the first woman said dramatically.

Ino began to walk at a brisk pace towards the flower shop. Upon arriving she called out to her father.

"Dad? Dad can you watch Haro for me? I have to go." She handed the baby to her father, along with his diaper bag and turned back to the door. "Thanks." she called as she let the door swing shut behind her. Then she ran straight to Tsunade's office.

"Is it true!" she shouted. Tsunade stared at the girl, and Shizune stood behind her, trying to calm her down.

"Is what true?" Tsunade asked, undisturbed. Ino glared angrily.

"Is he back?" Tsunade opened her mouth to say something but Ino cut her off. "Don't lie to me, and do not avoid the question!"

"Yes, Sasuke has returned. He is being questioned as we speak." Ino closed her eyes and took a moment.

"Thank you for telling me." Ino bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

"Ino." She froze at the door. "I know why his returning worries you so much." Ino looked down at the floor.

"What are you going to do?" Ino asked using all of her effort to keep her voice from trembling.

"Nothing, but maybe you should." Tsunade went back to be pretending to organize files as Ino walked out the door.

_How exciting is it that everything between my two notes the chapter is exactly 2,000 words! GO ME! I AM AMAZING! So hope you liked this chapter. Happy trails to you, until we meet again! Trust me, it won't be too long._


	12. The Surprise Continues

_Hey everyone! Did you miss me? I've been working on a new story and once I come up with a name for it I shall share it with all of you. So until then enjoy this most humble chapter._

The room was all bright white, from the walls to the floor and all of the ceiling. The brightness was supposed to elicit a confession, or make the suspect go insane. Whichever came first, Sasuke thought. There was one table and two chairs. One of them had special chakra restraints that only open for the person who locks them. So he just sat in silence, staring at the one way glass.

Behind the window Sakura stood with Iwao, one of the best, or at least scariest, interrogators in the village.

"Why do you think he came back?" Sakura asked. The man walked to the door.

"That is what I'm here to find out." Then he opened the door and entered the room.

2 Hours Later

The man walked out of the room with a deep frown. Sakura had stayed outside the room the whole time watching and listening. It was mostly a one sided conversation because no matter what he tried the interrogator could not get a single straight answer from Sasuke.

"Maybe I should go talk to him. I know him better than almost anyone."

In the room Sasuke was smirking. Things were going just how he expected. A moment later Sakura walked in. She gave him a small smile and sat down across from him.

"Hi." She began, feeling like the awkward girl she had once been. He didn't answer, just kept staring calmly at her. "Long time no see, ne?" She chuckled nervously. Still he did not respond. This was getting frustrating. "Why'd you come back?"

"I thought you wanted me back." he replied evenly. She was surprised at how different he sounded after nine years, so much deeper but still so confident.

"Of course we did, er do, Sasuke. We all, well most of us, do. What I mean is, we've been searching for you for so long and now you just show up?" He didn't answer. "Look, I know that as soon as everyone knows you're not a threat they'll welcome you back. For that to happen you need to tell us what you know." His grin disappeared.

"Before that, I need something from you." Sakura was taken aback by this.

"What is that?" she asked. His face remained serious.

"I want to talk to Ino." Sakura's jaw practically hit the table and she gaped at him. There was a knock on the glass so Sakura got up and left the room.

Outside Tsunade was standing next to Naruto, who was staring at Sasuke. Sakura pulled the Hokage aside so Naruto couldn't hear.

"Tsunade sama, what does he want with Ino? Do you think he knows? What are we going to do?"

"You are going to get Ino." Tsunade replied with an air of finality.

"No." Ino said emphatically. Sakura had been asking the same thing for a good ten minutes now and the answer remained the same.

"Ino, we need you to do this. He won't talk until he sees you." Sakura stated for the third time. Ino shook her head, again.

"You know why I don't want to see him." She replied.

"Haro." Sakura said, "But Sasuke doesn't know about him." She stopped when she noticed the look on her friend's face. "He doesn't know, right? How could he know?" Ino stared at the floor miserably.

"He found out three months ago." She said softly, and for the second time that day Sakura's jaw dropped.

"What? He was in the village, in your apartment? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I-I don't know. I guess it was because then I'd have to admit it had really happened. I'd have to admit that he was still a part of my life." She glanced up at the baby's door fearfully.

"Oh Ino, You have no reason to be afraid. We won't let him near Haro. I promise. The two of you will be safe." She gave Ino a comforting hug. "For now we really need him to talk to us and he is just pigheaded enough to keep quiet until he gets what he wants." She said. Ino remained silent for a while then turned away and went into the baby's room. She stared down at the sleeping child and fixed his blanket. Sakura stood in the doorway watching her quietly.

"Can it wait until after his nap? I don't want him to wake up without me." Sakura smiled a little then nodded. So they waited together.

Half an hour later the two women were on their way to the interrogation building, having left Haro and Mamoru with Inoichi. When they arrived Tsunade was still standing outside the room. Naruto was talking to Sasuke, well actually he was just about shouting at the raven haired man.

Sakura charged in, yelled at Naruto then dragged him back out into the viewing room.

"What were you doing in there?" She shouted.

"I was-"

"You can't go in there aggressively and expect to get anything from him. Has that approach ever worked for you?"

"Both of you shut up." Tsunade ordered. "Ino I understand you're feeling apprehensive about this but know that we will be right here the whole time. Just go in, find out what he wants, then you can leave." Ino nodded and walked over to the door. She stood there for a moment, building up the courage to go in. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"We'll be here for you. If that jerk does anything stupid I'll rush right in and put him in his place." She thanked him with a smile then turned the knob and opened the door.

Sasuke looked up from across the room and grinned.

"Didn't know if you'd come."

"You didn't really give me a choice." She replied bitterly.

"I thought you would have been happy to know I came back." He said, honestly confused.

"I thought I made it clear how I felt about you, last time." He frowned at this. "What did you think I was going to do? Welcome you back with open arms?"

"What happened to you?" He whispered.

"I don't need to have this conversation. You saw me, we talked, can I leave now?" She asked turning back to the mirror.

"How is my son?" He asked. She turned around slowly and narrowed her eyes at him.

"He is _not_ your son." Before he had the chance to respond Tsunade entered the room.

"That's enough. Ino you may leave." She said never taking her eyes off the Uchiha. "Will you talk with us now?" He clenched his jaw for a moment, then nodded.

Ino stormed in the front door of her father's house where he was sitting on the couch with Haro on his lap. The baby smiled and giggled happily when he saw his mother walk in. The moment she saw his face her dark mood lifted and she couldn't resist the grin that crept onto her features.

"That was quick." Inoichi said handing Haro to her. She held him close and just let the contact calm her. "Where did you say you had to go again?" She sat down in a nearby chair and the dog, who had been sleeping on the floor, stood up, stretched and came to sit beside her feet.

"It was nothing." She noticed the look on his face. "Dad, don't worry about me. I'm all right."

"You're my little girl. It's my job to worry about you." She smiled at him wistfully.

"So how was he for you?" She asked, changing the subject.

"He was a perfect little angel as always." He studied the boy's dark hair and eyes thoughtfully. Ino never spoke about his father. "Did you ever give any thought to finding him a father?" Ino groaned.

"Dad I couldn't have this conversation with you when I was thirteen and I defiantly don't want to have it now."

"Come on baby. He needs a male figure in his life."

"He has you and he has Shikamaru and Choji. What more does he need?"

"You ever think about maybe giving Shikamaru a chance?" He inquired. She shot her father an exasperated look.

"No, Dad, Shikamaru is my best friend, and I love him like a brother. Nothing more, besides He has a thing for that sand girl." She explained.

"All right, had to give it a try. I just don't like the thought of my baby girl all alone."

"I'm not alone. I have a big strong man in my life." She said holding Haro up to eye level. She gave him and Eskimo kiss and he giggled.

The following days Ino did all she could to avoid anything Sasuke related. This was difficult since he was the biggest news since her return. Everyone was talking about him nonstop and the only way to avoid hearing his name was to stay inside. Which is exactly what she did. The only times she would leave the apartment were when she went to work at the flower shop and when she went running with the dog. She kept Haro close all the time and would only leave him if Sakura, Shikamaru or her father were free. This was taking its toll on her emotionally. She became edgy and short-tempered with everyone.

About a week later Sakura stopped by to talk with her friend.

"Ino, I have to tell you something," Sakura began hesitantly, "about Sas-"

"Please don't." Ino said, cutting her off before she could say anymore. "I really just want to forget about him."

"Why do you let this bother you so much? I mean it's been more than a year now. And it's not like either of you two had actual feelings for each other." Ino, who was facing away from the pink haired woman, closed her eyes. "You shouldn't be worried about him anymore…" Her words faded when she noticed how tense the blonde had become. A minute ticked by in complete silence when it finally hit her. "Oh my god." She whispered.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Ino whispered something like 'savior!' and rushed off to get the door. Sakura sprang from her seat to try and stop her friend.

"Ino, wait! Come back here and talk to me. Don't answer the door! There's something I have to tell you first!" She called out.

"Sorry, but this conversation is officially over." With that she threw the door open and froze. Sasuke stood in the hallway with a cocky smile on his face. There was a long painful pause where nobody moved. Then he spoke.

"Honey, I'm home."

_Now was that as bad a cliffie as the others? I don't think so! Then again _I_ know what is going to happen and you don't. Muwahahahahahahahaha… etc. Til next time. _


	13. Amends

_So here is goes again. Just wanted to tell you I got my new story started it's called _Anything Worth Having_, read it, tell me what you think. I need you to tell me if I should continue or not. Please please check it out. For now here is another great chapter!_

Nobody moved an inch. Each person had a different expression on their face. Sakura was glaring at Sasuke, Sasuke was watching Ino thoughtfully, and Ino was staring off into space until one emotion snapped into place. She turned sharply to look at her friend angrily.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" She demanded, shocking Sakura enough to make her mad.

"You wouldn't let me. I tried but you just cut me off."

"Clearly you didn't try hard enough."

"What was I supposed to do? Just drop this bomb on you without any warning? You would've been pissed!"

"How do you think I feel now?" She asked gesturing to the confused man in the doorway. While they were distracted he began to move into the room. "Take one more step and it will be the last thing you do." Ino threatened without even glancing at him.

"I have just as much right to be pissed. Why didn't you tell me that you loved him?" Sakura asked, no longer sounding angry but hurt. Ino was speechless for a moment, then spoke with little confidence.

"B-because I didn't, don't."

"Yes you do." Sasuke chimed.

"Shut up!" The girls shouted in unison.

"I do not love him." Ino said.

"It's obvious you did, otherwise you wouldn't be so fired up about this." Sakura replied. "I can't believe I didn't see it all this time." Ino was silent and Sasuke's eyes began to dart between the two of them. "You're my best friend. Why didn't you tell me?" The pain in her voice was clear.

"What do you want me to say? I didn't want it to be true. If I'd told you then it would have made it real. That's something that I just couldn't handle. I'm sorry."

"Ino just because you don't talk about it that doesn't make it go away." Sakura explained.

"I know, but that's just how I deal with things." Ino replied with a small smile. Sakura walked over and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Sasuke." The two women smiled at each other.

"Can I come in now?" Sasuke asked glancing from Sakura to Ino. This made the blonde woman frown.

"No." She walked to the door and slammed it in his face. A moment later he knocked again. She opened the door and glared at him. "Go away." Then she swung the door shut again, but this time he put his foot in the way, preventing it from closing. As soon as he pushed it open he was hit by Ino's fist. He stumbled back mainly from surprise. Then he looked back up with a scowl.

"You can't keep doing this. I have the right to see my son!" He shouted. Ino didn't respond, she simply cracked her knuckles in preparation for a fight. Sakura intervened before anything happened by stepping between the two.

"Sasuke maybe you should come back later."

"Or not at all." Ino suggested. Sasuke growled quietly, but didn't speak. Sakura grabbed his arm and led him away.

"Listen, she's too worked up right now to think reasonably. Give a it a day or two and _do not _come back here on your own." He stayed silent and allowed her to walk him out of the building.

Once he was gone Ino felt the anger fading, leaving behind an agonizing despair. The pain only grew when she heard Haro crying in his room. She entered the room and saw him lying in the crib squirming under his blanket. Gently she reached down and lifted him. Almost immediately he calmed down. His little hands gripped her shirt tightly and he began babbling quietly in her ear. The sadness lessened a bit and she smiled.

The next day she brought Haro to the flower shop with her, leaving Mamoru at home to play guard dog. She set the baby down in his little chair behind the counter with a stuffed animal and a pacifier.

"Now be good while mommy works." She tickled his toes then stood up and began straightening out the place.

An hour, and four customers, later Sakura walked in. Ino greeted her friend with a smile.

"Good morning." She said pleasantly.

"I'm glad to see you're in such a good mood." She replied.

"I'm not gonna let you know who wreak havoc on my life anymore. I'm so ready to move on." Ino inhaled deeply smelling all the scents of the flowers.

"That's good. Maybe now you can think about letting the two of them get to know each other." Ino's smile disappeared. "Hear me out."

"That is just not going to happen." She replied.

"Why not? You may not like it but he is Haro's father."

"I need to protect _my_ son." The blonde said firmly.

"What is this protecting him from? Do you really believe Sasuke would hurt him?"

"Not physically." Ino said quietly. Sakura walked behind the counter and smiled down at the baby who giggled and spit out his pacifier to babble at her. She picked the pacifier off the floor, cleaned it and gave it back to him.

It was at this moment that Sasuke walked into the flower shop. Immediately Ino stood between him and Haro with a fierce look on her face.

"Can we talk, please?" He asked gently.

"I really don't think so." She responded curtly.

"Why the hell not?" He demanded. It finally clicked in Sakura's head, why they would never be able to just have a calm conversation.

"You're both stubborn, short tempered, idiots!" She shouted. They stared at her, baffled at the outburst. Then both started yelling at her at the same time.

"I am not an idiot!" They shouted in unison. "Shut up!" That time they shouted at each other. Then they began yelling at each other until the bell above the door chimed signaling someone had entered. The three of them looked over to see who had entered. It was Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji.

"What's going on in here?" Choji asked.

"Yeah, we could hear you guys shouting from two streets over!" Naruto added. Ino flushed angrily and pointed at Sasuke.

"It's all his fault." She said. Shikamaru and Choji glared at the Uchiha.

"I came in here to talk to her and she just shut me out!" Sasuke yelled. All the noise had upset the baby and he began to cry. Ino hurried over to him and lifted him out of his seat. Shikamaru and Choji approached Sasuke.

"You should leave now." Shikamaru said calmly. Choji nodded in agreement. Naruto frowned, and grabbed Sasuke then dragged him out, Sakura followed.

"Ok, maybe you should try to win over everyone else first. Then work on Ino." She said.

"Yeah, once you have everyone else's support she'll have no reason not to trust you." Naruto added. Sasuke looked back over his shoulder through the front window. Ino was trying to calm the baby down. He turned back to his teammates and nodded.

"Ok, but I'll need your help." He said.

He started his mission later that day, with Neji, Tenten and Lee. He presented Tenten with a brand new set of swords he had 'acquired' during his training. For Lee he agreed to a taijutsu fight whenever he wanted. Neji was a little harder to please. Sasuke had no idea what the Hyuuga could possibly want. In the end all Neji wanted was to know the Uchiha could be trusted, and Sasuke promised to earn this.

Next he moved on to Hinata, Kiba and Shino. He had already won Hinata over because she trusted whoever Naruto trusted. Shino simply said that if the Hokage accepted him there was no argument. Kiba, though, took advantage of the situation.

"Well you see I kinda got in trouble with the Hokage and she put me on training duty. If you take over for me I'll be forever grateful." He said.

"Done." Kiba smiled triumphantly. After they had walked away Sasuke turned to Naruto. "What did I just agree to?"

"Nothing good." The blonde man replied shaking his head sadly.

Finally the only people left were Choji, Shikamaru and Ino. Sasuke came prepared with an all you can eat deal at the Barbeque place. Choji couldn't stay mad when this was offered. He hit a snag with Shikamaru. Nothing he did seemed to make a difference.

"What will it take for me to show you that I've changed?" Sasuke demanded, on the brink of becoming annoyed.

"Why does it matter if I like you or not?" Shikamaru asked back.

"Because I need things to be all right." He replied. The other man studied him carefully before asking his next question.

"Do you love her?" He asked evenly. Sasuke looked at him sincerely.

"Yes." It was one word but the weight it carried was incredible. Shikamaru nodded.

"Ok, then you have my support." He reached out and shook the Uchiha's hand. Sasuke began walking away when Shikamaru called out to him. "You do know that everything you've done up until now was the easy part, right?" The raven haired man sighed loudly.

"Yup. Can't wait to get started."

"Good luck." With that said the lazy man walked away.

_Who says guys aren't perceptive? How sweet. Anyhow I hope you enjoyed this one, I know it was shorter than most but I felt like ending it here seemed right. Hopefully next time I will be able to make it longer. I would absolutely love it if you checked out my other new story and tell me what you think._


	14. Forgiven

_Sorry it took sooo long for me to update, it is a long story that starts with an 8 page essay and a new game (if any of you have ever played the Mystery Case Files games you'll understand) and ends with some Avatar reruns. But I worked hard on this chapter, maybe a little more than I should of. Enjoy. Oh and please, I only got two reviews on my new story and that does not evoke confidence in my writing. All I'm asking for is one word. Good, Bad, Yes, No. Something, please!_

On those rare occasions when everyone was in the village at the same time they would get together and hang out. On this particular day they had gathered outside, enjoying the seemingly endless warm weather.

"No he didn't!" Everyone laughed hysterically.

"Yes, Lee tell them!" Tenten yelled.

"Ok, I won't lie, I waxed my chest, one time!" Lee admitted turning a shade of red when the laughing grew louder. The group was still laughing when Kiba finally showed up.

"Guys, guys! You gotta see this!" He shouted.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke's over at training ground seventeen." Jaws dropped and there were a few gasps.

"But that's-" Choji started.

"The Academy training ground!" Kiba finished.

"I gotta see this!" Tenten said as they all jumped up and began running over to the training area. Ino tried to be angry but the thought of Sasuke on training duty was too much. She strapped the baby to her back and followed her friends.

In a small clearing not too far away, Sasuke stood surrounded by a group of academy students. His fists were clenched and his eye was twitching as all of the young children were talking at the same time.

"Sasuke sensei!"

'"Look at this!

"Am I doing it right?"

"How's this?

"I'm sooo much better than everyone else!"

"Sensei!"

"Sensei?"

"Sensei!"

"He's gonna crack." Kiba said watching from his position in a nearby tree. Sakura shook her head.

"I disagree, he can handle it." She said.

"No way, he'll totally snap at them." Tenten said.

"I think he can restrain himself." Neji said.

"Hasn't everyone yelled at those brats?" Choji asked.

"I know I came this close to doing it once or twice." Naruto added.

"Sasuke can do this." Sakura argued. Ino was silent the whole time simply watching.

Down in the clearing Sasuke was still shaking slightly as all the children rambled on. While he was lost in thought he failed to notice the little boy with terrible aim closing his eyes as he prepared to throw a shuriken. It left his hand flying straight towards the Uchiha's leg. By the time he noticed the incoming blade he was just barely able to move out of the way. It scraped by him leaving only a small scratch.

"Sorry Sensei!" the boy called out. After another agonizing twenty minutes the practice ended.

"Ok, you all did… well." Sasuke chose his words carefully, keeping himself calm. "Keep practicing. I want to see improvement Friday." The kids began talking loudly at the same time as they walked back towards the village. Once they were all out of view he leaned back against a tree as the exhaustion hit him.

"Either get down here or go home." He called out to the ninja hidden in the trees. They all appeared before him a moment later.

"Dude you were great out there!" Naruto shouted punching Sasuke on the shoulder. This earned him a glare. "Sorry."

"You really handled yourself well." Lee added. Sakura was beaming at her teammate.

"I knew you could handle it." She said happily. They all took turns verbally and sometimes physically patting him on the back.

"Good job." He looked up at the woman who had spoken. Ino was standing at the back of the group. They stared at each other quietly for a moment.

"That's our cue to leave." Sakura said herding the others away. This left the three of them alone in the clearing.

"So, are you done ignoring me?" He asked cautiously. She smiled wistfully.

"Maybe."

"Well, while you're considering can I sit down? Those kids really took a lot outta me."

"Do what you want." She replied. He slid down the tree into a sitting position. "Now, can we have a mature conversation. One that doesn't involve you slamming a door in my face?"

"I'm sorry about that, and for how I've been acting." She said.

"What happened… to us?" He asked. She frowned at him then turned around.

"Could you take him for a minute?" She asked pointing at Haro. He smiled and pulled himself up, then gently lifted the baby out of the carrier on her back. She took the thing off and stretched her arms out. Haro began squirming and fussing in Sasuke's arms so Ino reached out for him. The Uchiha reluctantly handed him back to his mother and they both sat down on the grass. "So let's talk."

"That's what I'm trying to do." He replied.

"Ok, so you really want to know 'what happened', right?" She asked harshly.

"That's why I'm asking." He said, the annoyance obvious in his tone.

"You really don't know?" He shook his head.

"One minute you said you loved me and the next you were gone. A month after I left I got a message telling me you were dead. It took another few weeks to get back to the compound where the guards told me that you had poisoned yourself with the plants in the greenhouse." He explained.

"So how did you find out I was alive?" She asked.

"After you left I abandoned the compound and decided to pour everything I had into searching for my brother. I kind of went off the wagon a bit and got really close to finding him. That's when I came upon Sakura and Naruto while they were out searching for me. During our brief encounter she just happened to mention you. That's when I came back and found…" He gently reached out to Haro, who extended his little arm towards Sasuke's. This brought a smile to the Uchiha's lips. "That's pretty much everything." He waited patiently for her to begin talking.

"All right, well here's my side. I told you that I loved you, and I showed you that I trusted you when I finally told you about your brother. Then you left me. You put your own selfish desires before me. While you were gone those guards of yours tried to kill me. So I chose to escape and I came back to the village." She began. "When I got back I found out that I was pregnant." She looked down at the little boy in her lap. "Did I wish you could have been there for me back then? Or that you could be there for him as he grows up? Yeah, but you weren't there and even when you came back I knew I wouldn't be able to trust you again."

They were both quiet for a while, thinking over everything.

"So, where does this leave us?" He finally asked.

"I don't really know." She replied. "But where Haro is concerned, he deserves to have his father in his life." Sasuke smiled. "With my supervision, of course." She added sternly. Then she smiled and stood up. "Clean yourself up and come over in an hour."

Before anyone knew it four more months had passed and Haro had grown incredibly fast. Sasuke spent as much time as Ino would allow with his son. He bought a little one floor house, with his family inheritance, and once again became a part of the village. Even after all of this he still wasn't allowed to be alone with Haro, which was frustrating to the Uchiha.

"Sakura I need you to watch Haro for me while I'm on an overnight mission." Ino said one day when she went to visit her friend at the hospital.

"Can't, sorry, I'm pulling a double shift at the hospital tonight. Why don't you ask Sasuke?"

"No, I'll just ask Shikamaru."

"He's on a mission with Choji." Sakura said.

"Then I'll ask Naruto and Hinata."

"They went to a spa for their anniversary."

"Tenten?"

"She and Neji went to weapon convention."

"Kiba, Shino, Lee, Kakashi, Anko?"

"Helping out with the chunin exams. Sasuke is the only one who is free tonight." Sakura explained. Ino groaned loudly.

"Did you plan this?" She demanded. The pink haired medic smiled innocently.

"Of course not."

Ino ended up at Sasuke's door. He opened it and looked at her with a mix of happiness and confusion.

"I need you to baby sit Haro for a night." She said calmly.

"Did you run out of options?" He joked with a laugh. The laugh died when he saw the lack of amusement on her face. "You seriously asked everyone else before coming to me?"

"Can you do it or not?" She demanded. He opened the door wider and stepped aside allowing her to enter.

"I finished his room yesterday." Sasuke said proudly leading her to a door just down the only hallway in the small house. She pushed it open and walked in. Everything was blue, except the dark wood of the crib against the wall. There was a matching changing table against the adjacent wall and some stuffed animals in a little toy chest on the floor.

"It looks nice." She said. "Now, he's already eaten breakfast so he'll need a change in a few hours. Tonight is his bath night, his favorite soap is in the bag. For his meals I packed his favorites. Do not feed him any junk food and only give him the juice and milk I packed. Make sure you get him in bed at 7:30, no later. And his nap time is usually right after lunch. If you have any problems, no matter how small, go see Sakura at the hospital." She explained.

"Yes Ma'am!" He replied with a little salute. She didn't smile, but simply kissed Haro on the forehead and hugged him.

"Baby, momma's got to go for a while. I'll be back soon, I promise." She told him, then handed him to Sasuke. When she was at the door she paused and looked back. "And Sasuke, if there's even one tiny hair out of place on his head when I get back, well, use your imagination." She said threateningly.

"Don't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles." He replied with a smirk. She frowned, but walked out the door and shut it behind her. He looked down at the baby. "Well kid, it's just you and me for twenty four hours. What shall we do?" Haro reached out and tugged on a strand of his father's hair and giggled. Sasuke held his little hand and smiled at the boy. "Just like your mother."

An hour after dropping Haro off with Sasuke, Ino was on her way to her mission. But only physically, her mind was still preoccupied.

(a/n: bringing back the inner Ino, seemed to be a hit before.)

"Why are you freaking out so much?"

"Why? Because I left my son with a crazy person!"

"He is not crazy."

"Yes he is."

"Ok, he's crazy. Crazy about you, and that little boy!"

"I can't trust him."

"Why not, because he made one little mistake? Which, by now, he has more than made up for?."

"Little?"

"It's all in the past."

"Easy for you to say."

"Hey have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Yes, if I had ignored you last time I wouldn't be in this mess."

"No, you'd still be locked up, or worse."

"That isn't the point."

"What's holding you back this time?"

"I-I don't know anymore."

"Is it really about you?"

"No, I don't want Haro to get hurt."

"Doesn't it make sense that two people can protect a child better than one?"

"Not if one of them is the cause of that pain."

"He would sooner kiss Naruto again before hurting that boy."

"I'm not worried about that."

"Then what?"

"He'll leave again, I know it. If I give him a second chance I'll just get burned again."

Silence

"I can't put Haro through that."

"Honey, you can't let this fear keep you from happiness. We both know that he is prepared to stay. Why else would he have worked so hard to win everyone over? Or bought a house?"

"You may have a point there, but I still don't think it's worth the risk."

"Is love worth the risk? You seemed to be ok with it before."

"I just don't know if I can put myself out there again."

"Well for the sake of your son you have to try."

The next morning, after completing her mission she returned to the village. She gave Tsunade a speedy report on the success of her mission then raced out. She sped right over to Sasuke's house to retrieve Haro. As she was walking to the front door she passed a large front window. She peered in and what she saw made her pause.

Sasuke was lying on his back on the couch holding Haro over his head. He would bring the child down so he was right in front of him then raise him back up. The baby laughed and squealed with glee when he was in the air and grabbed at his father's nose when he was down. Ino felt the tension in her body melt and she smiled warmly at the moment. After a moment she turned away and walked up to the door.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon." He said after letting her in.

"I told you when I was coming back." She replied. He was standing by the door holding Haro.

"Yeah, maybe I was just hoping to spend some more time with him." Ino watched him quietly, seeing him clearly for the first time. She noticed the way he looked at the baby. The way he would light up when Haro smiled or laughed. What struck her most was the gleam in his eyes when he would look at her. A small glint of something he tried to hide.

"Sasuke put the baby down." She said calmly. He looked at her in complete confusion.

"Ino I know you don't trust me but I swear I would never do anything-"

"No, just…" She walked over and took Haro away from him, then set him in the baby chair. She turned back to face him. He was staring at her, anger and annoyance clear on his face.

"Why can't you see how much I care about him? About both of you." He demanded. In response she simply walked up to him and looked him straight in the eye. "Say something." He said meeting her gaze evenly.

"No." She replied, then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He froze for a second then pulled her closer. After a moment he pulled away.

"Air, I need air." He said dramatically.

"I must be crazy." She whispered staring up into his fathomless, dark eyes. He smiled down at her.

"Probably." She whacked him playfully then dragged him back down for another kiss.

_Hope you liked that one. It will not take as long for me to update next time. I hope to have a new chapter by Tuesday, which is my birthday! Hellz ya! So please leave a message at the beep… BEEP! That means review now! Love ya'll!_


	15. A New Life reprise

_Miss me? I'm baaaaack! Has been kinda crazy with the semester ending but now I can focus mostly on updating more often. That is when I get my portfolio in… tee hee. Well enjoy this for now. _

"Ino, have you seen my other shoe?" Sasuke asked. She was standing in the kitchen holding Haro and watching him search the house.

"It's under the table." She replied. He eyed her skeptically then bent down and retrieved the shoe.

"Thanks." He walked over and kissed her gently. "You are the best."

"I know." She said happily. Then she walked past him to set the baby in his high chair. "So what are your plans for today?"

"Well I have that fight with Lee at noon, so I was thinking we could go out to lunch at twelve thirty." He said.

"Sounds good. I'll probably stop by my place and pick up some things. Oh and we're out of milk. Could you pick some up? I have to get to the flower shop pretty early today." She explained as she gave Haro his bottle. Sasuke didn't respond, he was just staring at her with and odd look on his face. She looked up at him when he didn't speak. "What's wrong?"

"I was thinking, why don't you just move all of your stuff in here?" He asked. This time she was silent. "What do you think?"

"Well, I don't know." She said hesitantly.

"What don't you know? It makes perfect sense. You're here all the time, it would be easier for Haro to grow up in a house and I have a yard for Mamoru. Why don't you just give up your apartment? I mean it's been almost two months now." She was staring out the window silently as he spoke.

"I-I can't." She responded.

"Why not?" He asked sharply.

"I'm just not ready for that yet." She said softly. His features softened and he touched her shoulder gently.

"I know I've hurt you before. But I love you and I want to earn your trust. I need you to know that I will never do that to you again." She looked up into his eyes with a small smile.

"I believe you." She began, taking his free hand in hers. "But I just need some more time." She stared at him with a sad smile. She pulled away from him a moment later and turned back to the baby.

"What does she need more time for?" Sasuke stood in the middle of one of the training grounds stretching out before his fight. Naruto was sitting cross legged on the ground a few feet away listening to his friend rant. "I risked everything by coming back here. Doesn't she see all I gave up to be with her?" The blonde shrugged then opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off. "And everyone else seems to trust me. Well everyone except her father, but I think he never liked me. He actually scares me a little."

"Well-" Naruto began.

"I mean I get that what I did to her was worse than what I did to everyone else, but all I want is for us to be a family. Why doesn't she see that?" At this point Naruto was fuming as he began to respond, yet again being cut off. "Yeah, I should just give her some space for now. I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Thanks buddy." He turned to his teammate and frowned when he saw the look on his face. "What's wrong with your face?"

"Nothing, glad I could help." Naruto said, his left eye twitching slightly.

"What is wrong with me?" Ino asked, sitting behind the counter in her family's flower shop. Sakura was standing on the other side holding Haro. "Am I so afraid of getting hurt again that I won't even try to be happy?"

"Nothing is wrong with being careful. Not after what you went through." Sakura did a great job of keeping her tone serious while making faces at the little boy in her arms.

"So you think I shouldn't move in with him?" She asked. The pink haired woman looked up at her friend.

"That isn't what I'm saying. Yes you should be cautious, but not so much that you never trust anyone again."

"So I should move in with him?" Ino asked. Sakura shook her head sadly and set the child down on his feet. He toddled off to play with his toys.

"You just want me to tell you what to do, don't you?" The blonde let her head drop onto the counter and made a whimpering sound.

"Yes please." Her reply was muffled by her arms. Sakura walked over to her friend and patted her on the back.

"Ino, this is something you have to decide on your own. All I can say is that I believe Sasuke is worth the risk." Ino peeked up at her. "Trust me, I was in love with him for a long time." The blonde's eyes narrowed, but she ended up laughing. Then she felt a tug on her apron and looked down at her dark eyed son smiling up at her and babbling. She picked him up and smiled.

"Sakura, will you help me with something?"

Later that day Sasuke sat in the restaurant waiting for Ino. He glanced up at the clock on the wall for the fourteenth time in as many minutes. "It's not like her to be late. Is she mad at me?" He thought anxiously to himself. Each time the door opened he'd glance up eagerly, only to be disappointed.

"Hey, Sasuke, nice fight today! Tell me, were you going easy on Lee?" Kiba asked slapping the dark haired man on the back as he walked by. He looked up at the dog man with a small frown.

"No. He did well." Sasuke said absentmindedly, still watching the door.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Kiba sat down opposite the other man and began picking at the appetizer on the table. Sasuke tore his eyes away from the door long enough to glare at the brunette man.

"I'm supposed to be meeting Ino here." He replied. Kiba made a face.

"Oh, stood up?" The glare returned to the raven haired man's face. "It's cool, happened to me once. Or twice."

"Kiba." He said calmly.

"Ok, it was four times, if you count that waitress who didn't show up when I specifically asked for her." He rambled.

"Kiba." Sasuke repeated.

"Yeah?" He replied. Sasuke was silent a moment, then grinned.

"I'm going to run to the rest room. Mind waiting here in case Ino shows up?" Kiba smiled broadly.

"Sure dude, whatever you need." And with that Sasuke stood up and left the restaurant, leaving the bill to Kiba.

When he got home he stormed through the front door and called out.

"Ino! Are you here?" He shouted. She poked her head out from the kitchen with a bright smile on her face, which dimmed slightly when she saw the look on his face. "Where were you? I waited for-" He stopped when he noticed something different. He walked over to the small end table beside the couch and picked up the double picture frame. One side held a photo of Ino's parents from before her mother died. The other held a picture of their little family. He looked up at her with his mouth open. "Is this…?" She nodded and gestured for him to follow.

They walked down the hall to Haro's room and she let him walk past her. Her father's rocking chair sat by the window and all of their son's toys and clothes were in the toy box and dresser.

Next she dragged him into his room. The dresser drawers were pulled open, revealing her clothes folded neatly beside his. She had also put more framed pictures from her apartment up on the walls. He looked over at her with a smile.

"What made you change your mind?" He asked. In response she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. When she pulled away a moment later she grinned at him.

"I love you. And I'm ready to take a leap of faith with you." He smiled warmly and pulled her closer to him and kissed her again. "Just don't break my heart again." She said, half joking.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He replied happily. Then she let him go and turned back to the door.

"Now come on, we have a house warming party waiting for us in _our_ yard. Choji brought the food. I just hope he didn't eat it all on the way." He watched her walk out, but remained in the room a moment longer. He looked at some of the pictures hanging above the bed. One was of his team from their early days. Sakura smiling giddily, Naruto glaring at him, Kakashi grinning, and he was staring off the other way. There was also one of Ino and her teammates from back then.

"Man, so much time has passed. Have I really done everything I wanted to?" He asked himself quietly.

"No." A familiar voice echoed throughout his mind.

"Sasuke!" Ino called from the kitchen. He pushed the thought away and headed out to greet his, or rather, their guests.

Things settled down pretty quickly and before anyone knew it they really were a family. They would spend all their free time together, going for walks and Sasuke even started working with Ino in the flower shop sometimes. They went on missions separately most of the time, but once in a while they'd be teamed up.

One time they were out together on a simple mission in a neighboring town looking for an escaped prisoner for the local authorities.

"Sasuke let's split up. Go that way and I'll check this way. We'll meet up in an hour." She instructed. He nodded and turned to head off, then paused a moment.

"Be careful." He said. She smiled at him.

"Likewise."

He was walking silently down the street, listening for any sign of life. He could hear rats scurrying through and abandoned building to his right, and water dripping to his left. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes to strengthen his hearing. For a moment he didn't hear anything new, then he picked up on someone's breathing. His eyes snapped open and he disappeared.

The fugitive peeked out from his hiding place and gaped at the empty space that used to hold his pursuer.

"Looking for me?" Sasuke asked with a smirk from behind the man. He grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the building. "Looks like you're going back to jail." The man was silent, studying Sasuke's face. This was pissing him off. "What the hell are you looking at?" He demanded.

"I've been waiting for you." He said with a grin.

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I believe we have a mutual acquaintance. He wanted me to give you a message."

"Ok, that's enough outta you. Let's go so I can find my partner and get out of this dump." Sasuke said irritably, and began dragging him along.

"So you don't want to know about Itachi?" The man laughed. Sasuke froze, then jerked the man around to face him.

"What do you know about Itachi?" He demanded and a threatening tone.

"He was here. Only a few days ago. Broke me out of prison and told me to tell you…" The man paused with an evil smile. Sasuke's hands rolled into tight fists in an effort to restrain himself.

"What did he say?" He growled.

"You know, I just thought that I can get a lot more out of this. I'll tell you if you let me go." He replied. Sasuke snapped and grabbed the man by his throat, slamming him up against the wall.

"Or you could tell me and I'll let you live." He whispered menacingly. The prisoner was gasping for air and struggling weakly.

"Y-you can't kill m-me. Th-they want me a-alive." He gasped out. To this Sasuke smirked.

"Accidents happen." The man's eyes went wide and the terror in them was obvious.

"Ok, I'll t-tell you. I need t-to breathe!" He loosened his grip and the man sucked in as much air as he could. "Your brother says congratulations on the new family," Sasuke's eyes narrowed and his free hand clenched into a fist, "and that you'll be seeing him very soon."

_So there you have it. This concludes another successful chapter. Well you can tell me if it was successful or not. Happy Holidays everyone, what I want for Christmas is lots and lots of reviews! Pleeeeease! Well TTFN ta ta for now!_


	16. Nightmare

_Hmmm, weird anomaly. That last chapter got absolutely no reviews. Now I'm not mad, just curious. Did anyone actually read that chapter? I hope so. Anyways new chapter, sorry for the wait, been distracted by numerous stuffs. So here we go…_

"Daddy! Look at me!"

Sasuke turned to watch the little boy as he showed off a cartwheel. The five year old giggled joyfully as he ran around the sun drenched field.

"Sasuke." He turned around and saw Ino walking towards him with a radiant smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. He held her close and sighed happily. For a moment everything was perfect in the warm rays of the summer sun.

"Sasuke." This voice was deeper and darker, one he would never forget. He let Ino go and turned sharply to face the man who killed his family.

"Itachi." He growled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You failed." he replied. "You will never be able to kill me."

"Yes I will!"

"You're weak, you've always been weak little brother." Itachi reached out and pointed a finger at his brother.

"Sasuke!" Ino cried piercingly. He whipped back around and saw her staggering towards him, blood dripping from a large gash on her stomach. He lunged forward just as she fell and caught her. He held her in his lap, with tears in his eyes. "Wh-why didn't you protect us?" She asked weakly. Then her eyes closed and she went limp.

"I'll kill you. I'm gonna kill you!" He shouted furiously.

"You can't." He replied evenly, staring off in the other direction.

"Daddy!" The terror in his son's voice was like a bolt of lightning to his heart. He saw Haro, covered in blood, stumble forwards, fall down, and go completely still. When he looked back Ino's body had vanished.

"No!" Sasuke screamed his voice filled with rage and pain. He leapt to his feet and turned to face Itachi. But he wasn't there, instead he saw his parents laying the way he'd found them that night. He backed up a few steps and clenched his fists in an attempt to calm his fury. Then he turned back away from the bloody scene, and saw himself from that night. Tears ran down the young Sasuke's face.

"What are you doing?" The child asked.

"What?" The older man was confused.

"You should have avenged them by now! You had all the power in the world, and you gave it up!"

"I didn't give it up! I still have it, I can kill him!"

"No you can't." Itachi said menacingly from behind him. He turned around swiftly and found himself mere inches away from his brother. "Game over." There was a sharp pain in his abdomen and the world went dark.

Sasuke sat up feverishly, his breathing heavy. He looked at his hands, which were balled up in fists.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Ino asked drowsily, rubbing her eyes and glancing up at him. He stared down at her, nearly crying with relief. She sat up, concern filled her face. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It was just a dream." He said quietly. She watched him carefully.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked, gently touching his arm. He simply shook his head in response.

"Let's just go back to sleep." He draped his arm around her shoulders and they settled back down on the pillows. She was still worried about him, but soon fell back asleep. He lay there awake for a while just listening to her breathing.

The next morning he woke up alone. Immediately he leapt deftly out of the bed and rushed into the hallway. He relaxed visibly when he saw Ino standing in the kitchen beside Haro's high chair. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You're awake. Maybe you can get him to eat. He needs all the energy he can get for his big day." She said, switching into her baby talk voice. Sasuke smiled and walked over to the high chair.

"Hey big man." He said sweetly gently touching his son's hair. "What have you got there? Is that applesauce! And, yum, daddy's favorite cereal!" He picked up the little spoon in the applesauce bowl and held it in front of the boy's mouth. Haro cringed and swatted the spoon away then giggled.

"He's been like that all morning." Ino explained. Sasuke thought for a moment then smiled.

"Well if you don't want it, I'll eat it." He scooped some more of the squishy food out and ate it with a smile. The little boy watched his father curiously then reached out.

"My! My! Dada, my!" He cried. Sasuke smiled and scooped out more applesauce and fed it to his son. Ino smiled warmly at the two. After a few more scoops Haro took the spoon and finished the bowl on his own.

"You're a miracle worker, Sasuke." Ino said happily. He faced her with a triumphant grin.

"So remind me, what time does the party start?" He asked, walking over to the fridge and retrieving the milk carton.

"You don't remember when your son's first birthday party is?" She asked.

"I'm a little out of it this morning." She watched him quietly for a moment as he poured some milk into a glass.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare now?" She asked gently. He frowned, then finished his drink in one big gulp.

"No." He said emotionlessly as he put the milk away. She looked at him sadly, feeling more hurt than she was comfortable showing. He noticed this, despite her attempt to hide it, and walked over to her. "It was nothing, really. Don't even worry about it." He said, wrapping his arms around her. She held him tightly and sighed.

"I can't help being worried about you. I know you haven't been sleeping well for a while now. I just wish you'd tell me what's wrong." She told him. He rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her forehead.

"You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I promise that if anything were wrong I would tell you. So please stop worrying about it. Let's focus on Haro today. After all, he'll only turn one once." He said calmly. She gave him a small smile and he kissed her gently.

"Ok, I'm gonna get his bath ready. Could you make sure he finishes his breakfast then bring him to me when he's done?" She asked, but walked away without his answer. When she was gone he looked over at the baby, who had hand a handful of cheerios in his hand and was staring right back at his father. Sasuke was sometimes amazed at just how much the boy looked like him, but he could see a lot of Ino in him too. He sat down next to the high chair and smiled at him.

The boy stared blankly at his father for a moment then threw the handful of cereal at him and laughed. "You are going to drive everyone insane when you're older, aren't you?" He asked shaking some cheerios out of his hair.

"Da, da, da, da."He sang happily, kicking his legs wildly and smiling. Sasuke smiled at the little boy and ruffled his scruffy black hair. Haro reached up and grabbed his father's hand. He squeezed it tightly with both hands and stared up at him with a strange look on his face. It was as if he knew what Sasuke was thinking.

"Sasuke, the water's all ready in here." Ino called from the small bathroom down the hall. Sasuke smiled warmly at the boy and picked him up out of his chair.

"Alright buddy, let's go get ready for your party."

A few hours later they were all out in the back yard with all of their friends. Ino was sitting with Haro on her lap, talking to Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru and Hinata. She was laughing and smiling and just enjoying herself.

Sasuke stood next to the back door leaning against the side of the house. He watched her silently smiling every time she glanced up at him.

"Why so blue?" Naruto asked sliding up next to his friend.

"I'm not blue." Sasuke said with little feeling. The blonde man frowned.

"I am insulted. Come on dude, I'm your friend. I think I know you a little better than that." The raven haired man glanced over at his teammate. "Let's take a walk." Naruto suggested.

The two men walked through the house and out the front door.

"So tell me, what's on your mind?" Naruto asked as they ambled down the street.

"Absolutely nothing. I'm just tired, that's all." Sasuke said.

"Why? Ino keeping you up at night?" He asked suggestively. For that he received a hard punch on the arm, which nearly knocked him over. "Kidding." He said rubbing his arm.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept walking. Naruto rushed to catch up with him.

"Seriously though. What is bugging you?" He asked in a completely serious tone.

"It- it's just this nightmare I've been having for a while now. Ever since our mission to recapture that prisoner." He explained.

"Why? What happened?" Naruto asked. Sasuke stopped walking and glanced behind him for a moment.

"My brother happened." He said after a moment. His blonde companion gasped and was speechless for a moment.

"What? You saw Itachi?"

"No. I didn't see him. The prisoner told me that it was my brother who broke him out and that he had a message for me from him." Sasuke explained.

"And what was it?" Naruto asked.

"He said that I'd be seeing Itachi soon." Once again the blonde man was without words.

"So that's what your nightmare is about?"

"I can't beat him, Naruto." The Uchiha said turning away from his friend. "I'm going to lose everything again, and there is nothing I can do about it." He was silent a moment then in one swift movement he punched the tree in front of him. There was a loud crack as the wood splintered beneath his fist.

"Dude!" Naruto rushed over and grabbed his teammate's hand. There were some small cuts on his knuckles and blood trickled out slowly. "Let's go back, maybe Sakura or Ino will heal this." Sasuke yanked his still closed fist away.

"No. I'll handle it on my own." He said. Then he turned abruptly and stalked away.

Back at the house Ino was preparing to bring the cake out. She walked to the counter and gently lifted the tray that held the large chocolate cake she had baked earlier that day. As she was turning to walk back out to the yard she heard the door open.

"Sasuke? Is that you?" She called out.

"Nope. It's just me." Naruto answered trudging into the room.

"Have you seen him? He's been gone a while now." She said putting the cake back down on the counter.

"You mean he didn't come back here?" He asked. She shook her head in response. "Damn, we went out for a walk and he ended up storming off. I was sure he'd just cool down a little then come back here."

"When was that?" She asked with feelings of panic creeping up on her.

"Like ten minutes ago." As soon as he said that thunder boomed loudly outside and a moment later Sakura came rushing through the door holding Haro.

"It just started pouring out there." She explained, shaking some water out of her hair. "I think it's time to move the party inside." She moved aside as the others came flooding in and headed out into the slightly larger living room.

"Ok, take Haro into the other room and I'll be out in a minute." Ino said. The pink haired woman nodded and walked through the doorway. "Now tell me what happened. Do not leave anything out." She demanded.

Naruto set about explaining the whole conversation he'd had with Sasuke. After he finished she was silent and thoughtful.

"I think I know where he is." She said quietly. Naruto stared at her curiously as she walked to the small closet near the back door.

"What are you doing?" He asked. Grabbing a jacket and an umbrella she glanced back at her blonde friend.

"I'm going to find him and possibly smack some sense into him." She explained throwing her coat on. Then she opened the door and stepped out into the rain.

Sasuke stood, panting, in the middle of the training field, allowing the rain to soak him. There was little left of the post in front of him and blood dripped from his balled up fists and landed in the puddle at his feet. His shoes had splinters of wood sticking out at odd angles and were stained with more blood and soaking up water.

"More, more, more." He panted. "I-I need to b-be better. Stronger." He stood up straight and turned around. "What are you doing here?"

Ino stood under the umbrella a few feet away. Her face was filled with concern and anger. "The better question is what the hell are _you_ doing out here?"

"I need to train." He said plainly. She frowned deeply.

"In the middle of your son's birthday party?" She demanded.

"I need to get stronger." He replied.

"Congratulations. You sound just like the old Sasuke." She said sourly. He looked at her emotionlessly. "What does this accomplish?" She shouted over the thunder. He remained silent and looked away from her. She took a step towards him and he backed away.

"I can't… I can't." He said quietly.

"Can't what?" She asked angrily. She waited a moment then approached him. He looked at her sadly.

"I can't protect you." She sighed then reached out and touched his shoulder gently.

"You don't have too." She began, turning him towards her. "I don't know why you think you have to do everything by yourself." She closed the umbrella and gingerly took his bleeding hands and began healing them. "We are a team. Whatever happens we'll face it together." He winced a little as her chakra began knitting his skin back together.

"But Itachi is my responsibility." She let his hands go and looked up into his eyes.

"Not anymore." She said gently touching his cheek. He blinked rain drops out of his eyes so he could see her clearly. The look on her face took away the last of his strength and he felt his knees give out. She caught him as he fell and they both ended up on the wet, muddy grass. They sat on their knees in front of each other and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. He reached up and hugged her back.

"I'm so tired." He said, closing his eyes and leaning his head on her shoulder.

"I know. But you're not alone anymore." She said, stroking his hair soothingly. "You don't have to keep these things to yourself. Let me help you." He lifted his head and looked at her. She smiled at him warmly, and at that moment he was thankful for the rain because it hid the tears running down his face.

They got back to the house a little while later. As soon as they walked in everyone stopped talking and stared over at them. The expressions ranged from mild curiosity to utter shock. Ino squeezed his hand and smiled at everyone.

"Cake?" She asked walking through the room, their shoes making squishing sounds as she went. They walked down the hallway to the bedroom so they could change into dry clothes.

"Ino?" She looked up at him from the dresser. "Thanks for coming after me." He said quietly.

"Always." She replied with a smile. Then they got changed quickly and went back to their son's party.

_Heeeeey everyone! Hope you liked that. Please feel free to leave a message at the _


	17. A Mission

_Woot another chapter done! So I know this is gonna make some of you cry but I am about to wind the story down. The next few chapters will be the last. I'm looking at about three more chapters in addition to this one. It's been a hell of a ride, eh? Well enjoy it while you got it. _

On this cloudless day Sasuke and his toddling son were out in their backyard enjoying the warm summer weather. Haro was having a blast playing fetch with Mamoru. Sasuke, who did not particularly like the dog grabbed the ball and tossed it as far as he could. It flew over the back fence and into the trees beyond. Mamoru looked angrily at the man then turned and leapt over the fence to retrieve the object. .

A shadow passed over his head, causing the raven haired man to look skyward. Flying above them was a large brown hawk. It was circling the yard, getting lower with each pass. A terrified Haro climbed to his feet and tottered quickly into the house through the open back door. Sasuke glanced over at the boy who was cowering just beyond the threshold, then back at the bird which was closer now.

"Hey buddy. It's all right. It's just a bird, it won't hurt you." He said soothingly, trying to calm the child down.

"Bad! Bad buhwerd!" Haro cried pointing out the door. Sasuke turned around and saw that the hawk had landed a few feet away on the fence. He glanced back at his son then slowly approached the bird. As he took a cautious step forward the bird flapped its wings at him but did not fly away. It was then he noticed the note attached to its leg. "Baaaad!" He heard Haro cry as he reached for the tiny piece of paper.

As soon as he was holding the note the hawk flew away and the child began screaming. Sasuke rushed into the house and scooped the boy up.

"Shh, you're ok. It's ok." He said rubbing Haro's back. A moment later the dog came bounding into the yard and dashed into the house to see what was wrong. Sasuke glared at the dog who was snarling at him. Then he looked at his son with a small smile. "I think you're just tired. Nap time." He said and began walking towards the child's room.

Sasuke was able to get his son settled down and, after a story, Haro was fast asleep and sucking his thumb as he dreamed. The raven haired man shut the door softly and walked around Mamoru, who took his place in front of it.

In the living room he took the note out of his pocket and just stared at it for a few minutes. "Who could this be from? What does it say? What should I do? Should I tell someone? Who would I tell?" These questions ran through his mind rapidly. Finally he decided to just read it.

Warily he unrolled the paper and read the message. His muscles tensed and he clenched his fists, crumpling the note.

A few hours later Ino returned home after working in the shop all day. As soon as she walked through the door she was hit by the smell of dinner.

"Sasuke?" She called out curiously. At the sound of her voice Haro came running from the kitchen and clung on to his mother's legs.

"Mama! Mama!" He cried happily. This brought a big smile to her face and she bent down and picked him up. Sasuke appeared in the doorway a moment later.

"What is that smell?" She asked as she walked in and shut the door with her free hand.

"Dinner." He replied. Then he turned around and walked back into the kitchen with her trailing just behind him.

The small family sat together eating the meal Sasuke had prepared. The couple talked casually about the events of the day.

"Mama!" Haro shouted.

"What baby?" She asked with a smile.

"Dere a buhwerd ouside!" He exclaimed. Ino laughed a little and nodded.

"Really? What kind of bird?" She inquired.

"Bad buhwerd!"

"A bad bird? Did Daddy take care of it for you?" She asked glancing over at Sasuke, who was being quiet.

"It was just a little bird that landed on the fence. Scared him though. He gets that from your side of the family." Sasuke explained as he began cleaning up. She rolled her eyes then began helping him. "Don't worry about that. I'll clean up."

"But you made dinner." She protested.

"No, really it's fine. Why don't you get Haro to bed." He suggested. "Then we can spend some time together, alone." She smiled and pecked him lightly on the lips.

They met up in the living room later. He was sitting on the couch waiting for her. She walked over and sat down beside him. For a moment they just smiled at each other.

"Come here often?" She asked with a laugh. He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She enjoyed the closeness and the smell of him as it wrapped her up in a safe, comfortable place. They sat together for a while then he pulled her up into his lap and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. After a few minutes they pulled away breathless then began kissing again and ended up rolling off the couch and landing on the carpet.

"Sorry." He panted between kisses. She replied by bringing him closer. "Ino." He whispered sending chills down her back.

"Hmm?" He pulled back and caught his breath staring down into her deep blue eyes.

"Marry me." He said quietly. Her eyes lit up and she dragged his face back down to hers and kissed him again.

A few hours later Sasuke was lying in bed with Ino sleeping pressed against him. He listened to her soft breathing and enjoyed the warmth of her bare skin. He tore himself away from her and carefully climbed out of bed. He quickly and silently dressed then pulled the blanket up over her and kissed her lightly. He snuck out the door and quietly walked to his son's room. He soundlessly entered the room and walked to the side of the crib. He looked down at Haro as he slept soundly. Sasuke reached in and gently touched his son's hair then turned and walked back out the door.

In the kitchen he took out a piece of paper and a pencil and jotted down a little note. With one last look around the house he walked to the front door and sighed sadly.

"I will be back. I promise." He whispered. Then he opened the door and walked out.

The next morning Ino woke up alone. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms then glanced around the room. "Where is Sasuke?" She thought to herself. She climbed out of bed and threw on light blue bathrobe. She walked over to Haro's room and opened the door. The young boy was rocking himself back and forth in his crib until he saw his mother.

"Mama!" He called out jumping up and leaning on the bars. She smiled at him ignoring the strange feeling in the back of her mind.

"Shouldn't Sasuke have gotten Haro up?" Her inner voice whispered.

"Hey baby." She cooed as she lifted him up. She walked to the kitchen and set him in his high chair. "Sasuke?" She called out. When she got no response she shrugged her shoulders and got Haro his breakfast.

After eating she got her son dressed and let him play in his room as she took a shower. When she got out she was surprised to find that Sasuke was still not home. Quickly she threw on some clothes and walked back out into the kitchen. It was then that she noticed the note on the front of the refrigerator. "Now how did I miss that?" She asked herself as she plucked it off the door. She read the note, becoming visibly upset as it went on. When she finished she was speechless and completely stunned. For a moment she just stood in shock, not moving a muscle. The sound of Haro calling for her snapped her out of it.

She crushed the note in her hand and began shaking with rage. Throwing the paper onto the counter she rushed out of the room and packed some of her son's things. Then she raced over to her father's house and dropped the boy off with his grandfather. Next she crashed into Tsunade's office.

"Where is he?" She demanded furiously. Shizune's eyes went wide with shock and horror.

"Ino! You can't just burst into the Hokage's office and start shouting!" She cried.

"It's all right, Shizune. Miss Yamanaka, I assume you are talking about Sasuke." Tsunade said calmly taking a sip of her steaming tea. "And I also assume that because you are here he did not talk to you about his mission."

"He left me a note." Ino replied indignantly. The Hokage shook her head.

"I told that little… Never mind. I'll tell you exactly what happened. But you are _not_ allowed to go off after him on your own. Am I understood?" Ino nodded emphatically. "All right, yesterday he came to me with a note that he had received from a messenger hawk. It contained a threat against you and your son from none other than Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke came to me just after and explained his plan. I agreed to allow him to go after his brother on his own. My one exception was that he had to tell you about it. I suppose technically he did and technically I didn't specify that he had to tell you in person." She explained.

"So where is he?" Ino asked again.

"He was able to slip a tracking device onto the bird before it flew away. I have the last known location here." Tsunade held a piece of paper out to Ino. The younger woman read it over.

"And you just let him go alone? He'll be killed for sure!"

"Do you have so little faith in me? I knew you wouldn't be ok with this. So I intended to send you and your team as backup." Just then there was a knock on the door. "Ah there they are. Enter!" The door opened and Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji walked in. Ino smiled at her friends then looked back at the older blonde woman.

"When do we leave?"

Sasuke had been running since he left the village. He had taken one five minute break a few hours ago and was beginning to feel the fatigue. He jumped to the ground and nearly collapsed. "If I'm going to fight my brother I need to rest." He thought. He'd been subconsciously punishing himself for not being strong enough to tell Ino face to face. "She would have insisted on coming with me and that would be too dangerous. I can't leave Haro without both his parents." He didn't like to think that way but it was very likely that he would not be coming back from this mission.

He leaned against a nearby tree and slid into a sitting position. He rested his head against the trunk and closed his eyes.

Ino and her team were flying through the trees. She hoped they would get there in time to help Sasuke.

"Do we know what we're walking into?" Sakura asked.

"No, but I believe it's safe to assume all of the remaining Akatsuki members will be there and that they know we are coming." Shikamaru explained.

"What is our objective?" Choji asked.

"If possible we take them out. If not we grab Sasuke and run." Ino said plainly. Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"Let's do this! Believe it!"

"Oh god Naruto. I thought you grew out of that!" Sakura complained.

"Old habits." He shrugged.

After resting for an hour Sasuke walked the rest of the way to the location indicated by the tracker. There he found the entrance to an underground bunker. As silently as he could he opened the door and walked into the darkness.

When they were about two hours away the group stopped for a break. Ino had become increasingly impatient each time they stopped. Every minute they wasted was one that could mean the end for Sasuke.

"Hey guys. I think I hear a spring over there. I'm gonna go get some more water." The blonde woman explained as she began walking away. Someone said something to her that she didn't hear as she kept moving further from the group.

Once she was far enough away that they couldn't see her she leapt up into the trees and began running again. "Sasuke, I swear to God, if you got yourself killed I'll bring you back to life so I can kill you myself." She said quietly.

_Okey Dokey, hope you enjoyed that one. Shouldn't be too long until I have the next one up. I would like to take this time to thank all of my loyal readers! You are awesome. Hope to see you at my next story. Figuratively speaking that is. HAHA. _


	18. A Battle

_Chapter 18_

Sasuke crashed into the stone wall with enough force that he saw stars. Blinking the lights out of his vision he slowly got back on his feet to face his most anticipated opponent.

Itachi stood ten feet away, starring expressionlessly at his brother. The toll of the battle was less obvious on the older Uchiha but Sasuke had managed to put up a good fight so far. Itachi was breathing heavier than normal and leaning slightly. To Sasuke these were huge signs that his brother was weakening.

"You're off today, Itachi." He taunted. The elder man did not even blink at the comment.

"I admit you have grown considerably since last time I saw you, little brother. But I fear it is still not enough to kill me." Sasuke frowned and charged forward. The battle raged for nearly an hour and the brothers were almost evenly matched.

Where Sasuke was wounded worse he was also more ferocious, and while Itachi was stronger he had lost his intensity.

Sasuke was running out of steam and decided to try the chidori again. He sped through the familiar hand signs and instantly his hand lit with lightning. He began running towards Itachi who charged at him as well. Just before they were about to clash he figured out what had been bugging him about this situation. It was too late; his hand came in contact with Itachi's shoulder. The force of the blow sent both brothers flying back.

Sasuke managed to land on his feet and skid backwards a few inches, but Itachi crashed into the wall with a loud thud. He slumped to the ground and did not move. The younger Uchiha approached his brother cautiously. Itachi looked up at him with the same blank expression he always seemed to have.

Outside the bunker Ino was preparing to enter. She was still trying to convince herself that running off on her own was the right decision. When she heard the sound of the chidori followed by a loud thud she rushed inside. She ran soundlessly until she came upon the large open room where the two brothers had been fighting. She froze in place when she saw the look on Sasuke's face.

"Go on, finish me." Itachi said quietly before coughing up blood. Sasuke frowned and shook his head.

"You planned this. Didn't you? You baited me so I would come out here and kill you."

"So what if I did? It's not like I let you win." He replied. Sasuke laughed humorlessly.

"I know that." He stared down at his brother, finally seeing him for what he really was. "All my life you have been this… unattainable goal. I have always wanted to be greater than the amazing Itachi. I feared and respected you, but most of all I hated you." He knelt down in front of Itachi. "For sixteen years my life has revolved around getting stronger so that I could kill you. I've hurt people and destroyed lives to get to where I am now. But now that I know who you really are, now that I know you aren't a god, all I feel for you is pity. You could have had it all but you threw it away for power and I'm not going to follow you anymore." Sasuke stood up and stepped away. "I'm done with you, and I won't end your miserable life."

Ino was impressed and for a moment forgot how angry she was that he had left her again. "Sasuke." She called out to him. He was startled and glanced over at her.

"Ino, what are you doing here?" He asked. She frowned and suddenly remembered how angry she was.

"I'm here to bring you home." She explained. He smiled at her.

Itachi watched as his brother began walking away from him and toward Ino, at this he frowned. "You're weak. Little Sasuke can't even finish what he started sixteen years ago." Sasuke just smiled.

"I'll be right out. I just need to say goodbye to my brother." He told her. She nodded and made her way back outside. Sasuke turned back to Itachi. "I have finished this. Goodbye Itachi, good riddance."

"If you won't end this, then I will. I came here prepared to fight to the death and that is what I intend to do." Itachi reached inside his coat and pulled out a small detonator. Sasuke turned around and saw what his brother was holding. "Run, little brother, run." The younger Uchiha took off like a bullet out of the bunker.

"Ino! Get Down!" Sasuke shouted as the bombs went off behind him. The blast threw him off his feet and he landed with a loud thud ten feet away. Ino, who was staring at Sasuke, was knocked backwards by the force of the explosion. Her foot hit a root sticking out of the earth and she fell down, hitting her head with a sickening thud. The explosion lasted a few seconds and when it was over they were surrounded by darkness.

"Sasuke?" She called out. "Where are you?"

"Uuugh." He groaned. "I'm over here."

"Where? I can't see you!" She rubbed her eyes and tried harder. "I-I can't see anything." She said becoming increasingly worried as the world remained dark. Sasuke was lying on his back a few feet from hr. He glanced over.

"What do you mean?" He asked propping himself up on his elbows. He watched her feel around with her hands as she tried to find him.

"I mean that I can't see a thing! I'm not able to see anything!" She shouted. He groaned in pain as he attempted to move his leg.

"That's probably for the best right now." He said. She stopped moving and turned her head in the direction of his voice.

"Why?" She asked. He looked down at the chunk of wood sticking out of his thigh and laughed grimly.

"No reason." He replied. She frowned and began crawling towards him using her hands to feel the way. "Did you look at the blast?" He asked as she came closer.

"No! I was looking at you." She shot back. "So this is your fault." She said pointing at her eyes. He touched her cheek gently and examined her eyes. Her heart leapt when he touched her. After a moment she slapped his hand away. "Don't think you're off the hook just because you almost died."

"How much chakra do you have left?" He asked seriously.

"Not much." She admitted. The sprint from the stream had taken more out of her than she had thought it would.

"You should heal that bump on your head. It will probably bring your sight back." He told her. Then he grunted in pain as he dragged himself into a sitting position.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly. He took a few deep breaths until the pain passed and then responded.

"Nothing. Just a little cut on my leg." She didn't buy it and gave him what she imagined was a skeptical look.

"Where is it?" She asked reaching out to him.

"Really it's nothing. Don't worry about- Ah!" He cried as her hand brushed against the wood buried in his leg.

"You think a chunk of wood jutting out of your leg is nothing? There's so much blood. It must have hit an artery. You'll bleed to death in a few minutes." She said becoming increasingly upset.

"Don't worry about me. Just fix yourself." He said calmly. She was silent for a moment.

She sat quietly for a moment then abruptly grabbed the chunk of wood and yanked it out.

"Ahhhhh! Oh my- God DAMN!" Sasuke shouted. Immediately Ino placed her glowing hands over the wound and began to heal it. Soon the blood flow slowed and all that was left was a large cut.

"Now wrap that up." She ordered. He stared at her for a moment more then did as he was told.

"Do you have backup coming?" He inquired. She went very quiet for a moment. "Seriously? You ran off on your own?"

"You're one to talk!" She retorted. "And, by the way, I didn't leave the village all alone. Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji came with me to back you up."

"So where are they?" Sasuke asked. She went quiet again.

"I kind of walked off by myself." She replied. He shook his head and began his first attempt at standing. Once he was on his feet, leaning his weight on the good leg, he hobbled over to her.

"Can you stand?" He asked. In response she climbed to her feet and faced the direction his voice had come from. "Ok, let's go find your team." He said then he took one step and nearly tumbled to the ground.

"Lean on me. I'll be your legs you be my eyes." She said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she placed her arm around his waist. "And Sasuke, don't let me walk into a tree."

"Yes Ma'am." He said with a little salute.

"And Sasuke, we will be talking about this later."

"Yes Ma'am." He replied more seriously. Then the two injured ninja began walking through the forest. Eventually they found their friends and after some more healing from Sakura they all returned to the village.


	19. The Final Battle

Chapter 19

"I can't do this."

"No one said it was going to be easy."

"No, I really can't do this."

"Oh you'll be fine!"

"I won't, I most certainly will not be fine."

"Shut up and grow a pair. You can do this, honey."

"I'm gonna die. He is going to kill me." Sasuke said while pacing nervously. Ino was sitting calmly with Haro in her lap.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't leave your side. You'll be just fine." She said comfortingly. He glanced at her, sat down then stood up and started pacing again. "Sasuke sit down right now." She ordered. He sat down beside her only to stand up again when the front door opened.

"Ah, you're here." Inoichi said smiling at his daughter. She got up and walked over to her father.

"Yeah, we got here early and let ourselves in. I hope that's okay Daddy." She explained as she hugged him.

"Of course it is, sweetheart. And there's the little man!" Ino handed Haro to him and he tickled his grandson joyfully. After a moment he noticed Sasuke standing quietly beside the couch. "Uchiha." He said coldly. Sasuke nodded at the older man and remained silent.

"So, what's for dinner?" Ino asked cheerfully.

An hour later the four of them were sitting at the table finishing their dinner. Ino and her father talked spiritedly about pretty much everything and Sasuke spoke only to answer questions or to ask for the peas.

Finally, after the dishes were cleared from the table Ino brought up the subject everyone had been waiting for.

"Daddy, Sasuke would like to talk to you about something." She said seriously. Inoichi tensed at the mention of the Uchiha, but managed to smile politely.

"Yes?" Sasuke took a deep breath then began.

"Well, Sir, I was, well I was wondering…" He stammered nervously. Inoichi was growing impatient.

"Just spit it out, boy!" He bellowed.

"I want to marry Ino!" He shouted. It came out louder than he'd intended but it felt good to finally say it. It was absolutely silent after that and Sasuke glanced at Ino for support. She smiled at him warmly and nodded for him to go on. "I'm sorry for shouting, it's just that, well, I love her very much, and I think it's time we-"

"Ino," Inoichi interrupted, "I forgot to get dessert. Would you mind going out to get some ice cream?" He asked. Sasuke looked at her pleadingly, silently asking her not to leave.

"Sure." She replied. She scooped Haro up and started walking away. In the doorway she glanced back at Sasuke and smiled encouragingly giving him a thumbs up. Then she was gone, leaving the two men alone.

Minutes ticked by in a heavy uncomfortable silence. A voice inside Sasuke was screaming at him for being such a coward. But he ignored this voice and instead listened to the voice of reason which told him to let Inoichi make the first move.

"Son, what makes you think I would ever allow you to marry my daughter?"

"With all due respect, sir, I don't believe Ino needs your, or anyone's, permission to do anything." Sasuke replied calmly.

"Then why the hell did you even ask?" Inoichi questioned.

"While she doesn't need your permission she wants your approval. Basically I'm asking because it would make her happy if we got along."

"And what if I don't think you deserve my blessing?"

"Look, we are getting married either way. All that I am saying is that Ino wants you in Haro's life. And while I may not be fond of you I agree. Don't refuse just because you hate me. If you honestly think I'm not right for her then I won't bother you again." Sasuke explained. Inoichi was silent for a while. Finally he replied.

"All right. You have my blessing." He began. "But this doesn't mean I like you. It just means I want my daughter to be happy, and it's clear you make her happy." Sasuke nodded with a small smile on his face.

"I completely understand, sir." He replied. Just then Ino and Haro returned with ice cream.

"Wow, the place is still standing. I am impressed guys."

"Yes, our chat went very well, and your kind father has giving us his support." Sasuke told her happily. She smiled brightly and walked over to her dad to give him a hug.

"Thank you, Daddy." She said happily.

"Anything for you, Sweetie." He replied. After she moved away her reached out and shook Sasuke's hand then pulled him closer. "Remember this, if you screw this up and hurt my little girl, I will find the most imaginative and painful death for you." He whispered menacingly. Sasuke paled, but kept his composure. "Congratulations, Son." Ino smiled at her guys and they smiled back.

Upon returning home they put Haro to bed and wandered back into the living room where they stood quietly for a minute.

"We did it." Ino said. Sasuke stared at her in silence for a moment the smiled and threw his arms around her.

"I can't believe it." He said. "We've come so far together." She snuggled into his embrace and sighed happily.

"I know, there was a time when I really didn't believe we'd make it, that we just weren't meant to be together." She pulled back a bit so she could see his face. "But then you refused to give up on us and somehow I knew that I shouldn't either."

"I will never give up on us." He said. Ino reached up and kissed him tenderly.

"Can you believe that it was just two and a half years ago that I went on that mission that brought us together?" She asked.

"Feels like an eternity ago." He replied. "I'm glad I kidnapped you." Sasuke said with a laugh. She nudged him in the ribs but laughed as well.

"So am I." They kissed again.

Two Months Later…

The area behind the Hokage Tower, just beneath the Hokage Monument, was packed. Everyone and their mother, so to speak, had turned out to see the last remaining, former traitor, Uchiha tie the knot.

At that moment said Uchiha stood inside one of the rooms inside the tower. He observed his reflection in the mirror, admiring his traditional Uchiha wedding robes. This consisted of loose dark blue pants, a white shirt that wrapped across his body and tied off at the waste and upper chest on his right side. It also displayed the Uchiha symbol across the back. The final piece was a golden cord which was wrapped across the back of his neck allowing the ends to hang down the front of his body.

"So what does that getup mean again?" Naruto asked as he finished getting dressed in a similar outfit. The differences were color and the lack of a symbol on the back. Sasuke frowned at his best friend.

"Like I said three times already, the blue means peacefulness and calm, the white is for purity and completeness and the gold cord is for prosperity. It symbolizes the calm and security we expect in marriage." He explained. Naruto stared at him deeply then shrugged and began fixing his hair.

"That's cool, I guess." He replied. Sasuke resisted the urge to beat the crap out of his blonde companion. Instead he wandered over to the window and pushed the curtain aside. Down below he could see the crowd that had gathered just outside the area where the ceremony would take place. Naruto noticed his friend's mood shift and moved to stand beside him. "You all right?" He asked.

"Of course, yes, I'm perfect. How could I not be?" Sasuke rambled. Naruto's eyes followed him as he moved away from the window.

"What's got you so worked up? I mean dude, you're marrying the girl of your dreams today. She was the most popular girl in the academy, and is one of the strongest kunoichi I have ever known."

"I know, and trust me; I am not having second thoughts. But what if she is?" He asked. "What if she realizes that she can do so much better than an ex traitor who kidnapped, got her pregnant and deserted her? What if she starts doubting me again, I know I'm doubting me. What if she realizes she can find Haro a better father?"

Naruto listened carefully as his friend went rambled on.

"Let me ask you a question." He began. "Did you notice that everything you just said began with "what if"?" Sasuke frowned again. "Those are all scenarios but you and I both know that they are all impossible. She loves you, and nothing will change her mind about that. Maybe those thoughts will go through her head but she is an intelligent, reasonable woman, and not so deep down you know that you're just being paranoid." He finished.

Sasuke's eyes went from his friend's serious face to the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he raised his head again all traces of worry and doubt were gone and his usual confident nature was restored.

"Thank you, Naruto." He said. Naruto smiled and threw his arms open.

"Ok man, let's hug it up." He approached Sasuke with his arms outstretched. The raven haired man frowned for a moment then sighed irritably.

"All right, but just this once." He replied. After a discreet check for any voyeurs he held out his arms and hugged his friend.

"Aww, isn't that adorable?" Sakura cooed from her spot in the doorway. Immediately the two men broke apart and pretended to act manly and nonchalant. (a/n: is that possible?)

"Sakura! What are you doing in here?" Naruto asked.

"And why didn't you knock?" Sasuke added.

"I took a chance, anyways, are you ready to go yet? Tsunade is getting cranky and would like to start ASAP." She said. Sasuke frowned again.

"Tell her that I am _so _sorry my wedding is interrupting her gamblers anonymous meeting." He said with a grin.

"Tell her yourself." She replied with a smile. "I would love to see her reaction." Sasuke's smile disappeared at the thought of the Hokage's reaction.

"Tell her we will be right down." Naruto said sweetly.

The people who were actually invited sat in rows of chairs facing a raised platform with a small stand in the middle which held the ceremonial blade.

In the front row Inoichi sat with Haro in the chair beside him. To the right of the child Shikamaru was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and Choji sat next to him fidgeting due to the fact that food was not allowed in the area. The two seats next to him were empty, waiting for Naruto and Sakura.

The rest of the rows were filled with all of their friends and colleagues. Kakashi and Anko sat together in the second row. Next to them Iruka chatted with Shikaku and Choza. Elsewhere in the crowd Hinata, Hanabi and Neji sat together with Hiashi, representing their clan. Kiba and Shino were nearby along with Tenten and Lee. There were numerous others, many just invited for political reasons including a representative from ever major and minor shinobi clan in the village.

Sakura informed Tsunade that they were ready to begin then she and Naruto took their seats. The Hokage, dressed fully in traditional robes, stepped up onto the platform.

"Attention everyone, we are ready to begin the ceremony, please stand." She said loudly to ensure everyone heard.

Just beyond the line of sight of the crowd Sasuke and Ino met up. He took one look at her and was left nearly speechless.

"You are so beautiful." He said admiring her appearance.

She wore traditional garments as well. Her long skirt was a soft yellow that went to her ankles. The shirt she wore was the same except it tied on the left.

"Thank you." She replied with a blush. "You look amazing as well." He smiled at her. They hear Tsunade begin the ceremony and were simultaneously hit with some anxiety.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked nervously. She studied him carefully.

"Of course I do. There is no man who is better than you. We belong together and I will never doubt that again. And neither should you." At that moment they heard their cue to walk down the aisle. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Here we go."

They walked together past the faces of their friends and neighbors. It was not a long way but to them it felt like an eternity. Finally they stopped in front of Tsunade on the platform. She gave a signal and the guests sat down.

"Welcome everyone. These two are the reason we gather today. They wish to make the journey from two individuals into one soul." She turned to Sasuke. "Are you ready and willing to commit to this woman?" She asked.

"I am." He replied confidently. She smiled at him then turned to Ino.

"Are you ready and willing to commit to this man?" She asked.

"I am." She said blissfully.

"Then we shall begin. In front of the eyes of the village and the Hokages, past and present, do you swear to be loyal, dedicated and faithful to each other forever more?" The couple smiled warmly at each other then responded in unison.

"We do."

"These oaths are to be bound by blood, each of you raise your left hand." She commanded. She lifted the ceremonial blade and held it above her head. "With this sacred blade you shall bind your oaths in blood." She took Ino's hand and gently pulled the blade across he palm. A small cut opened and blood flowed out. She did the same to Sasuke then had them face each other. "Take each other's hand and allow the vow to be complete." Their hands met palm first and they locked fingers.

"For eternity." He said.

"For eternity." She repeated.

_**And that's a wrap! For now at least… muwahaha. But in all seriousness stick around for the epilogue coming soon!**_


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Sasuke jumped nimbly from rooftop to rooftop as quickly as he could manage. He cursed himself for taking that last mission. He thought he would be back sooner than he was, but things don't often go according to plan. He had rushed back as fast as he could but found out he wasn't quite fast enough.

"Why did I have to take that stupid mission with Ino so close to her due date?" He thought angrily.

It was three years after their wedding that they decided they wanted another child. When Ino got pregnant she stopped going on missions and agreed to cut down her hours at the flower shop for Sasuke. That left him with the responsibility of taking on more missions so he could support his family.

No matter what he always promised he would be there to see his second son's birth, because he was certain it would be a boy. Then with just one week left he was offered another mission. They discussed it and in the end he decided to go, thinking it would take him two days at most to complete.

Four days later Ino went into labor and Sasuke had still not returned.

"I'm gonna kill him!" She screamed from her hospital bed. Sakura was by her side holding her hand and trying to calm her down.

"Yes, Ino, use that rage to-"

"Shut up, Forehead!" Ino shouted.

Out in the waiting room Inoichi sat beside his five year old grandson.

"Grandpa, when will Dad get here?" He inquired.

"I don't know kiddo." He replied. Then he turned away and mumbled under his breath, "That good for nothing…"

"Where's Ino!" Sasuke shouted as he burst through the doors.

"Daddy!" Haro jumped up and ran over to his father.

"Hey Haro, I missed you but I really have to go find Mommy right now." He said patting his son on the head. "Inoichi, where is she?" He asked urgently.

"Last room to the left." He instructed with a frown. Sasuke ignored the disapproval in his father in law's face and took off down the hall.

"Ino!" He called as he rushed through the door. She glared at him venomously.

"What the hell took you so long!?" She screeched. Sakura rushed over to him.

"She's your problem now." She whispered. "I'm going to update everyone on your progress, Ino." She said and then she moved out the door.

"You're almost done." The medic said soothingly. Sasuke rushed over to the side of the bed and grabbed Ino's hand.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." He said. She took a deep breath before responding.

"That's all right. At least you're here now." Then she was another contraction and her grip on his hand tightened painfully. Only his vast amount of self control kept him from crying out in pain. And for the next ten minutes there was plenty of pain to be had, all around.

Finally after many painful hours the medic held up their healthy baby.

"Congratulations, she's perfectly healthy." The woman said handing the swaddled infant to Ino. Sasuke smiled at the baby for a moment then frowned.

"Wait, she?" He asked incredulously. Ino just smiled at her daughter and held her close. The medic laughed then left the room. Sasuke sank down on the bed beside his wife and stared at his daughter. "So, not a boy?" He said slowly, still trying to come to terms with the news.

"Nope, she is a perfect little girl." Ino said happily. "Do you want to hold her?" She asked.

"Of course." He replied gently taking the infant from his wife's arms. She smiled at him as he stared down at the beautiful face of his daughter. She had blue eyes like Ino and dark hair like him. "What are we gonna name her?" He asked glancing up at Ino.

"Why don't you pick something?" She said as she rested her head. He looked at the baby for a minute, trying to see what name would fit her.

"Could we name her Mikoto, after my mother?" He asked. She smiled at him.

"Absolutely, I think that is a good idea." She replied. She reached out for the baby and Sasuke set her gently in Ino's arms again. "Hello Mikoto, welcome to the world."

There was a knock on the door and Inoichi walked in with Haro at his side.

"Well?" He asked. Haro rushed around the bed to his father.

"Dad, this is Mikoto, our daughter." Ino explained. He walked over and smiled down at the baby.

"Mikoto Yamanaka?" He asked hopefully.

"Mikoto Uchiha." Sasuke said. They glared at each other for a moment.

"Daddy, I wanna see the baby!" Haro exclaimed. Sasuke lifted his son onto the bed beside his mother and he stared wide eyed at his new sister.

"Haro, this is your baby sister, Mikoto." Ino explained. His little jaw dropped at the thought of being a big brother.

"That's so cool!" He gushed. He reached out and gently touched her little round cheek. "She's so squishy!" The adults chuckled.

"Want to hold her, Dad?" She asked. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

"She looks just like you, baby." He said. Ino smiled then yawned. "You must be exhausted. We can come back later to see you." He said handed Mikoto off to Sasuke. "Come on, kiddo. Let's let Mommy get some sleep."

After they left Sasuke gently set Mikoto down in the crib and sat beside Ino on the bed.

"I'll bet you're tired too, from your mission." She said. He smiled at her innocently.

"I'm sorry. I will never leave one week before our baby is due ever again, I swear it." He said. She laughed at him then yawned again. "Get some sleep; you'll have to face the masses tomorrow." He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled the blanket up over her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The End!

**_And there we have it. I hope you all enjoyed my little tale. Now go read my other story if you haven't already! Love ya'll. Until Next TIME!_**


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